Yōsei: When They Cry
by FoxOnPie
Summary: The wonderful world of Fairy Tail meets the terrifying world of Umineko! What was supposed to be a pleasant gathering of the Dragneel family becomes a horrible case of serial murders! Is it because of a human, or the mage of the island, Erza? That's for you to find out, and Natsu Dragneel's gonna help you! *DISCONTINUED*
1. Legend of the scarlet mage 1

**Fox: (Hello to you all)! (I am) FoxOnPie! For those of you just getting acquainted with me, nice to meet you! For those of you who know me... you probably want to know what this is. You see, ever since I started reading Umineko no Naku Koro ni, I've had the idea of making a story where the cast of Fairy Tail is put into that world(I also owe OneSolution, author of the Fairy Tail fic, Death Note, for this inspiration). Don't worry, I'll still be writing FTR, so just think of this as a little side project. On that note, (enjoy the read)!**

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**In regards to their clothes, assume that everyone wears what their counterparts do in Umineko and replace the One-Winged Eagle with the Fairy Tail blazon. Also, all of their ages will be changed to their counterparts' ages. Erza's main outfit, though, isn't Beatrice's main outfit; It will still be her armor. **

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**(xxxx)=English **

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**The following is a non-profit fanfic. Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are all owned by Kodansha, Studio Deen, TBS, Tokyopop, A-1 Pictures, Satelight, TV Tokyo, Funimation, 07th Expansion, Taito, Alchemist, Square Enix, UHF Stations, NIS America, Hiro Mashima, Kei Natsumi, Jirō Suzuki, Sōichirō, Taka Aki, Hinase Momoyama, Eita Mizuno, and Ryukishi07. Please support the official release. **

* * *

_Welcome to Tenroujima. The Scarlet Mage extends her heartfelt greetings. First, please put yourself at ease._

_There is nothing too difficult to think about. Accept entirely, silently, the events to happen. That is all that is asked of you._

_The difficulty is standard. Shall we first take the easy road?_

* * *

**3rd. Person POV**

In the midst of a dark night at Tenroujima, while the head family sleeps, the master of the island's manor, Purehito Dragneel, sits in his private study to hear news from his doctor and friend, Makarov Dreyar.

"Makarov... how long do I have to live?" Purehito asked.

"At best... three months," Makarov said.

"Not long at all, then... like hell, I'll die! Until I see that smile once again, I'll never die!" He then started walking towards a large portrait of a red-haired woman clad in armor. "Appear before me once more... and smile at me...! Erza! OH DESIRE" Our story now takes us to October 4th., X784, 10:00 AM, on a boat.

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

The destination of this boat is... Tenroujima of the Daikenza Archipelago. A small island, about 10km. Property of the immensely rich Dragneel family for a long time. This is for our annual family conference. That's why I, along with these seven other people, are travelling on this elegant boat. An elegant...

"It's too fast! I'm gonna fall! Help me~~~!" God, I hate boats.

* * *

We've finally docked, so my body can finally relax a bit. As it does, I look around and am already impressed with everything. Due to certain circumstances, I've been neglecting meeting with the head house and my relatives, but... "...I never thought, even in my wildest dreams, that I'd be back here after six years..."

"Hey! You're on land now, so don't you think you should stop looking so sick?" The teenage girl who came to greet us asked. "But still... ufufu... you got so big in six years, but you still suck at riding stuff! Wahahaha!"

"Lucy!" I yelled with irritation.

"And you're supposed to be a 18-year-old man? Pathetic! It looks like Natsu's courage, as well as his 'elephant,' is still that of a child's!" This girl, whose language is unfitting of a daughter of the head family, is Lucy. She's my cousin and she's the same age as me.

"Damn it, Lucy... do you intend to become an adult all by yourself...? Well then, just how much of an 'adult' have you become? I'll be happy to verify it for you!" And so, I reach out to touch her large and supple breasts, but at our distance, I could only get the tip of her beautiful mammaries. The little amount I touched, however, did not stop her from performing her signature "Lucy Kick" on my face.

"Damn, you touched it!" She said with blush. "I should've figured your reach would be longer..." As I lie on the ground in pain, I notice that my head is being patted by an adorable little girl.

"Uu~ Natsu's exhausted," she said, pointing out the obvious.

"Asuka. Aah... Natsu's little angel. Thanks for caring." I then give the little cutie's head a quick rub.

"Uu~!" Asuka is also my cousin. I haven't seen her in six years, but she's still pure, honest, and cute.

"Alright!" I then pick her up and put her on my shoulders. "The princess gets to ride on my shoulders!"

"Uuu~! Natsu! Natsu! Uu~Uu~!"

"That's right! Asuka! Asuka! Uu~Uu~! Asuka, you can't grow up and become a violent woman like Lucy, got it? Grow up to be a cute lady who'll let me feel her breasts, okay? It's a promise!"

"Uu~ Let you feel! Promise! Uu~!" Before I knew it, Lucy, for absolutely no reason, took Asuka away from me and smacked me upside the head. The nerve of some people!

"Don't say such stupid things!" Lucy yelled. "Asuka will really do them, you know?!"

"Uu~! I promised, so I'll let him feel them! Asuka will protect her promise! Uu~!"

"You can't make such promises, Asuka! No deal! No deal!"

"Asuka is such an honest and nice girl... her future husband will be really happy," I say with a single tear.

"Don't make it sound like some fairy tale!"

"Uu~... Take back my promise...?" No, Asuka! Don't let Lucy trick you!

"That's right, Asuka-chan. You can't make such promises." Not you, too, Gray-aniki! "Natsu-kun, you can't go around messing with others so much, got it?" Can't a man be serious when he tells a little girl that he wants to grope her?! ...There's something wrong with me.

"Natsu should learn from Gray-aniki," Lucy said. "He's become more of an intellectual."

"Me? I'm not at that level yet." Gray-aniki is a first-class intellectual at both studies and business. The total opposite of me, who doesn't have anything planned for the future.

"Lucy, let's drink for Gray later," I say with a sigh.

"What~? Is that supposed to be your way of pissing me off...?" Lucy asked, immediately catching on. "Regardless, since Natsu's here, all of my cousins are attending! I've missed this kind of feeling."

"This type of foolery with feelings, huh?" Gray asked.

"Uu~!" Asuka cheered. "Asuka thinks this year will be the funnest! Uu~!"

"I feel the same way!" I really did. Has it really been six years? Playing with my cousins is totally different from playing with my friends. For some reason, it gets me fired up!

* * *

After the few exchanges at the docks, we start walking up to the mansion, but got held up when Asuka stopped walking and pointed in a random direction.

"Gone, gone!" She cried. "Uu~! Uu~!" Did she lose something? No, she wouldn't be pointing in a direction if she did. Something must not be where it's supposed to be. I look in the direction and, indeed, there was something missing.

"Isn't there supposed to be a torii over there?" I ask the group.

"That's right," Gray-aniki said. "I remember seeing it last year..." How could it just up and vanish like that?

"It was gone in the summer," Lucy said. Figures she would know since she lives here. "The waves probably took it, but still...

"Hohoho! If only that were the case!" An old lady said. This is a servant of the mansion, Ooba Babasaama, who also came to the docks to greet us. "One night, a giant bolt of lightning came down and destroyed the shrine. The fisherman are whispering that it's an omen of bad luck..."

"Omen of bad luck... Uu~!" Asuka said rather ominously. "Bad luck. Bad luck. Bad luck. Bad luck. Bad luck. Bad luck. Bad luck!" She then pointed towards the sky. "Bad luck coming." From the sky?! Come to think of it, I heard that there was going to be a typhoon. That must be why we aren't hearing the fairies, what we call the seagulls, cry. Is that really it, though? There are some really nasty rumors about this island, so I wonder... I'd like to have wondered longer, but my dad's yelling at us to hurry up.

* * *

"By the way, Lucy, how is grandfather?" Gray-aniki asked as we walked.

"As lively as ever," Lucy responded. "You wouldn't think that he was given three months to live a year ago."

"His willpower is strong, but his body can't keep up with it forever. He probably needs constant care..." We're, of course, talking about my grandpa, Purehito Dragneel, head of the Dragneel family. He used his extraordinary luck and talent to revive the Dragneel family when it was destroyed in an earthquake. He bought all of Tenroujima and made it his home.

"There's no way we can take care of him when he always shuts himself up in his study! He never talks to anyone besides my parents and the servants, and he's always in a bad mood. He could at least do something about his hobby."

"By 'hobby,' you mean..." Even though I was asking, I already knew about Grandpa's odd hobby. We don't know when it happened, but his study is covered with weird books and objects. Some say he's dabbling in "black magic." No one wants to get close to him because of it; some of the family thinks he should just die, already. Of course, since the next head hasn't been fully established, that would complicate things with the inheritance. As I tell you this, though, we're already at one of the best parts of the island: the rose garden. It's only become even more breathtaking in my six years of absence!

"Uu~! The roses are pretty!" Asuka cheered. I had to agree with her on this.

"Such a refined smell. It fits the elegant me, perfectly! It feels like all of my fatigue has been cured!" The sight of all of this almost makes me forget the weirdness Asuka started by the boat. Speaking of her...

"This rose is weird. Uu~." She was talking about a rose that looked like it was on its last legs.

"Do you feel sorry for it?" Gray-aniki asked. "In that case..." He then pulled out a candy wrapper and tied it to the stem. "Until we leave, you can take care of this rose. It'll be easy to find like this, right?"

"Uu~! Asuka's rose! Uu~!" What a sweet girl! The adults had all headed off to the mansion, so us kids decided to head to the guesthouse until lunch. As we walk, I see a guy operating a wheelbarrow whom Lucy is apparently really happy to see.

"Good morning, Rogue-kun!" She says to the guy with a 10 gigawatt smile. "Oh, Natsu! This is Rogue-kun. He started working here three years ago."

"I see. I'm Natsu. Nice to meet you!" I offer to shake his hand, but he simply takes off his hat and bows.

"...Pleased to make your acquaintance." Kind of a stick in the mud.

"No need to be so polite. We're about the same age, after all."

"It is necessary, Natsu-sama. After all... I am only... furniture." Really anti-social, ain't he? "I still have work to do, so if you wouldn't mind..." He bows again, and we all take our leaves.

* * *

At the guesthouse, we were all just sitting around, watching Magical Vermi-chan, when there was a knock on the door accompanied by a voice.

"Excuse me... lunch is ready..." The voice, a female voice, said.

"It's Juvia!" Lucy said. "Come in! You remember Natsu, right?"

"Ye-yes. Please pardon my intrusion." The door opened and in walked two of the biggest knockers attached to a woman I had ever seen! "It has been a while, Natsu-sama."

"Ooh! Juvia-chan, right?" I ask, already knowing. "You've become quite beautiful!" Even though I complimented her, Juvia-chan was only looking and smiling at Gray-aniki, who was doing the same thing. Wonder what that's about? Lucy then surprised me by saying that Rogue was her younger brother, but I was focused on something else. "Juvia-chan, your youthful beauty seems to be stored in those knockers of yours! I wonder if they're bigger than Lucy's!"

"Eh..." I move in to grope her and... she looks like she'd let me! What's with that reaction?! Normally, you'd slap me, right?! Hit me, right?! It's just my playful way of communication! Of course, I wouldn't mind in the least if I got to touch them... Ihihihihi... Whaaaaa?! No counterattack?! At this rate, I'll seriously touch you! I'll touch you! As my hands begin to get around her breasts, though, I'm suddenly kicked in the face by my wonderful cousin, Lucy. "Thank you, Lucy..."

"Why are you thanking me?!" If only you knew, Lucy. "And Juvia-chan! You have to put up some kind of resistance! When molesters like Natsu try to touch you, you have to give 'em a big slap across the face!"

"But Natsu-sama is an important guest... and as furniture... Juvia doesn't have the right to..."

"GAAAAAAAH!" I just had to scream. "That's no good! You have to slap me next time, or else I won't feel satisfied!"

"In that case, you're 'ordered' to slap Natsu-kun next time he tries to grope you," Gray-aniki says. Thanks, man. What would I do without you?

* * *

We then headed into the mansion for lunch, and I saw something that was the first part of what would change my life forever.

"Who is that?" I asked as I gazed upon the giant portrait of a red-haired woman clad in armor.

"Uu~. Erza," Asuka said in the same ominous manner that she did earlier today.

"Erza?"

"Haven't you heard about it?" Gray-aniki asked. "The mage of Tenroujima... The 'Scarlet Mage,' Erza." A shiver ran up my spine. This was my first encounter with Erza... and while it was the cleanest one, it certainly wouldn't be the last.

* * *

**Until next time, (See you again)! (Have a nice day)!**


	2. Legend of the scarlet mage 2

**In regards to their clothes, assume that everyone wears what their counterparts do in **_**Umineko **_**and replace the One-Winged Eagle with the Fairy Tail blazon. Erza's main outfit, though, isn't Beatrice's main outfit; It will still be her armor. Also, all of their ages will be changed to their counterparts' ages.**

* * *

**(xxxx)=English **

* * *

**The following is a non-profit fanfic. Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are all owned by Kodansha, Studio Deen, TBS, Tokyopop, A-1 Pictures, Satelight, TV Tokyo, Funimation, 07th Expansion, Taito, Alchemist, Square Enix, UHF Stations, NIS America, Hiro Mashima, ****Kei Natsumi, Jirō Suzuki, Sōichirō, Taka Aki, Hinase Momoyama, Eita Mizuno, and Ryukishi07.** **Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

I've come to Tenroujima for the first time in six years for the annual family reunion. We're all supposed to be eating together right now, but... "Gramps is so late... what's he doing?" As I ask this, in walked Lucy's father, Jude, and Gramps' personal physician, Dr. Makarov Dreyar(To think he'd be so bad that his doctor would have to be here).

"Sorry, everyone, but father won't be joining us for lunch," Jude said. "The head butler, Rob-san, is taking care of him, so we should go ahead and start."

"After making us wait, he's not even coming?"

"It would appear that he cares more about the mage than his family." The mage... now that I think about it, that does ring a bell. They say that she lives in the forest and comes out at night looking for sacrifices for twisted rituals. The "Scarlet Mage," Erza. ...As if! That's just some old ghost story our parents used to scare Lucy, Gray-aniki, and I when we were younger! There's no way a mage can really exist! Awesome rack on her, though.

"Now then..." Uncle Jude started, sitting down at the table. "The guest of honor this time is Natsu-kun, who has finally returned after a six-year absence. Please take it easy and relax."

"Haha... Thanks." Uncle Jude is Gramps' eldest son. He always acts like he's _so _great... I'm not on very good terms with him.

"It's been so long, Natsu! I would've mistaken you for someone else!" This is Gramps' eldest daughter and Gray-aniki's mom, Aunt Ur. She has her moments of being mean and unreasonable, but she's usually pretty nice. "With those looks, you probably have plenty of amorous stories to tell."

"No, not at all! Geez, you always tease me about that stuff!"

"It's fine, so long as you don't become a heartbreaker like Gildarts." My playboy of an old man, Gramps' third kid, choked on his food a little at this. (Priceless)!

"Come on, sis, I'm not that kind of guy anymore." Liar. Where do you think I got it from?

"I wonder if Gildarts-nii-san's carelessness is genetic."

"You too, Bisca?!" As opposed to my dad, Aunt Bisca, the youngest of the four of them and Asuka's mom, is a very soothing and sensible person. Not only that, but she is the best mom ever!

"No matter how you look at it, Natsu's just as perverted as his dad," Lucy said with a smirk.

"Don't compare me to that guy!"

"Just don't try anything with Juvia-chan again, or you'll get hurt," Gray-aniki pointed out.

"But Juvia-chan's breasts are a prize worth fighting for!" I say with glee. "If the reward's big, then the risk must be just as big, right?"

"Uu~! Asuka will get big quick and let Natsu feel Asuka's breasts, too! Uu~!"

"Asuka?!" Aunt Bisca cried out. "You can't say such things, Asuka!" Yeah... I didn't need that right now, Asuka.

"Natsu!" My old man yells. "What are you making this little girl say?!"

"Nothing! I was just joking!" Everyone then starts to laugh a little. Well, everyone except Lucy's mom, Layla. She always acts so serious; it's kind of annoying, really.

"You really have grown, Natsu-kun..." she says to me.

"Yeah! I ate and ate, and while eating, before I knew it, I got bigger!"

"Your physique is probably due to the head's blood." ...Geez! This is where you say "All you did was eat!" Aunt Layla. So hard to joke with you.

"All you did was eat, Natsu-kun! Don't eat too much, now. If only your stomach's growin', your body'll forget to make your hair grow, too! If that happens, you'd be leaving the girls cryin' for a whole different reason!"

"Ihihihi! I'll be careful!" This guy is Gray-aniki's dad, Uncle Jura. He's sociable, cheerful, and really friendly around kids. Also, he has a kickass beard!

"Good looks aren't the _only _way to determine the worth of a man. How are you doing on your exams, Natsu?"

"L-Let's not talk about that, Sakura-san..." Sakura-san(A/N: Haru's mom from _Rave Master_) is my old man's second wife. Even though she's a parent, I think of her more as an older sister.

"Lucy, don't you have exams, as well?" Uncle Jude asked, turning the girl pale(Busted!). "I'd _love _to hear how that's going."

"Sh-Shut up!" Lucy said with an annoyed tone.

"Please mind your language, Lucy," Aunt Layla said. "Such poor manners are unbecoming of the next Dragneel heir."

"Exam stories aren't exactly what I want to talk about, now..." Same here, Lucy, but it can't be avoided when we're surrounded by parents.

"Anyway!" I say, steering things in a different direction. "This lunch is great! I could eat this stuff all day!"

"I'm glad you enjoy it, Natsu-sama," said a little old man with a Hitler moustache who suddenly walked in. "My name is Yajima. I have been recently employed here as the head chef."

"You're pretty small to be cooking. Though, Dr. Dreyar's short himself, so what do I know?"

"I'm sure much. Allow me to present you with desert." And into the dining room, pushing carts carrying plates of pudding and sauce and enough tea for us all, came Granny Babasaama and the ever so lovely Juvia-chan. Having my tea poured by a pretty face like hers will surely make it divine!

"Uu~! This sauce is sour! This is a miss!"

"There's stuff like that for sauces, Asuka? Juvia-chan, what kind of sauce is that two-colored one Asuka just had?"

"Um..."

"You don't know? Do you know this brand of tea, then?" Aunt Ur asked.

"Um... no. If you'd like, later, I can-"

"That's no good, Juvia-chan. You need to know what you're serving people. If not, we'd have to check our food for poison at every meal."

"Um..."

"Juvia!" Aunt Layla yelled, giving the poor maid a scary look. She really shouldn't bully her like this, but I guess Aunt Layla feels she'd get laughed at if her servants showed ineptitude in any way. Aunt Ur was pretty mean, too... though I did start the whole thing...

"Would you like to know the identity of the mystery sauce...?"

"GAH!" Granny Babasaama's whisper scared the crap outta me!

"The sauce is... mackerel."

"Huh?!"

"The sour sauce is made from the squeezed juice of a soused mackerel, and the tea is made from a stock of mackerel! I bet your heads were spinning trying to figure that out!" Obviously, this wasn't true, but Granny Babasaama's joke save Juvia-chan, so whatever.

* * *

**3rd. Person POV**

After the sauce fiasco, Juvia and Babasaama, the former looking upset over her "failure," exited the dining room to find Rogue standing against the wall.

"Don't be depressed. You didn't do anything wrong," Rogue said.

"Rogue-kun!" His sister exclaimed.

"Both Madam Layla and Madam Ur treat you like garbage... they can both go to hell! Yajima, too! He was the only one who could've known what was in the sauce, but he just let you be humiliated!"

"It's alright. Juvia doesn't mind, but thank you for worrying. Thank you, as well, Babasaama-san."

"I haven't done anything to be thanked for," the old woman said. "Anyway, Yajima-san is just jealous that you two get to wear the Mark of the Fairy, despite being servants. Don't worry, though, 'cause Babasaama's your friend!" At that moment, the head butler Rob walked onto the scene.

"What are you all doing here?" He asked. "Juvia, Babasaama, please return to the kitchen."

"Rob-san!" Rogue said.

"What's the matter, Rogue?"

"Even though Juvia didn't do anything wrong, those people..."

"Stop, Rogue..." Juvia pleaded. "Nothing's wrong. Juvia will get back to work."

* * *

Later, the kids and Juvia went down to the beach for a little picnic while all of the parents and Dr. Dreyar had gathered in the parlor. The parents were all there to talk about the true reason for every family meeting: Purehito's inheritance.

"Do we really need to discuss this?" Layla asked, rubbing her head for an apparent headache.

"Father isn't immortal," Ur said. "He's going to die eventually. Isn't that right, Dr. Dreyar?"

"Yes..." he said. "Purehito-san should be in a hospital, but his stubbornness won't allow it. He's currently in a state of reduced activity, but he could have a fit at any time..."

"The man can still bellow like a madman, so I think he has plenty of time left," Jude said. "Aren't you all being impatient about splitting his inheritance?"

"From our perspective, you're just trying to _avoid _the topic, nii-san," Ur said. "Is there something you would like to discuss? ...Embezzlement, perhaps?" The woman now had a crafty smile on her face. "Nii-san's business keeps failing, and your debt should be enormous! Where are you getting your money from? Dipping into Father's fortune, perhaps?"

"How rude!" Layla yelled. "How dare you say such a thing to the next head! Your words are an insult to my husband and the current head! Leave this island at once!"

"Is that what you want me to do...?" Ur then started to laugh. "Shut up, you little bitch! You dare try to order _me _around?! I am the third ranked member of the Dragneel family, and you are a lowly woman not even allowed to bear our insignia! You only exist to birth a potential heir! Know your place!"

"...Go to your room and calm down, Layla..." Jude said, not even trying to defend his wife. Layla then ran out of the parlor in tears.

As someone who wasn't one of Purehito's "furniture," Layla, an outsider, wasn't allowed to wear the Mark of the Fairy even after marrying into the family. Such a thing was extremely hard for her to deal with and was the reason why she had so much pride for the Dragneel family. At least, if Lucy was born before Gray, Ur wouldn't be able to mock her as much, and she wouldn't curse her long time of infertility.

* * *

Back in the parlor, Jude's siblings had proposed an ultimatum for Jude: give the five of them a total of 750 million Jewels, and they'll keep quiet about the embezzlement. They thought that they had him due to "certain information," but Jude just started laughing.

"Jura-san... I know that some rather _nasty _people are buying all of your stock," Jude started. "Gildarts, that trial in America would be taken care of if you could pay the settlement, right? And Bisca... co-endorsers aren't something you should accept so lightly." Jude's siblings were shocked to discover that Jude had dug into their lives as much as they did his. "Distributing the inheritance... give me a break! All you people want is lots and lots of money, so you tried to force some out of me under the pretense of dividing the inheritance! What _beautiful _fraternal love! Unfortunately, I'm not doing any sort of embezzling, so you won't be getting a dime!"

"But if that's not it, then how...!" Ur started before pointing dramatically at her older brother. "You found Father's gold and are keeping it all to yourself, aren't you?!"

"Father's hidden gold, huh? You honestly believe that exists?"

"Tons of people say that they've been shown the gold!" Gildarts said.

"If it's not embezzlement, then you must've found the gold," Jura said.

"I've been getting money from a sponsor, but you all clearly have no more of those," Jude said. "If that gold can truly be found, I'd _happily _share it with you all." And with that, their scheme to get money out of Jude had completely failed. Later, in Purehito's study, Rogue and Rob had come to relay the details of what transpired in the parlor.

* * *

"The only thing those damn vultures care about is the inheritance..." he said to Rogue, the one who had done the talking. "Do they mean to challenge Erza's epitaph? And after six years, Natsu has returned... we truly have a lot of people. Which shall happen first, a miracle, or those children finding the gold? I will give you all of their worthless lives, Erza! But I, alone, shall survive! At your resurrection, you shall be mine again! Wealth! Honor! Gold! Inheritance! All shall belong to whoever solves the epitaph! The game of demons begins tonight! (OH DESIRE)!" From there, Purehito broke into a fit of mad laughter over the prospect of the mysterious game.

* * *

What is the epitaph, you ask? By the base of each portrait of Erza in the mansion, there is a dreadful inscription that reads as follows:

My beloved hometown, the sweetfish river running through it.

You who seek the Golden Land, follow its path downstream and seek the key.

If you follow the river downstream, you will find a village. In the village, look for the shore the two will tell you of. There sleeps the key to the Golden Land.

He who lays hand upon the key shall travel under the rules below.

At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key.

At the second twilight, those who remain shall tear apart the two who are close.

At the third twilight, those who remain shall praise my honorable name on high.

At the fourth twilight, gouge the head and kill.

At the fifth twilight, gouge the chest and kill.

At the sixth twilight, gouge the belly and kill.

At the seventh twilight, gouge the knee and kill.

At the eighth twilight, gouge the leg and kill.

At the ninth twilight, the mage shall be revived and none shall be left alive.

At the tenth twilight, the journey shall end and you should reach the village of gold.

The mage will praise the wise, and should bestow four treasures.

One shall be, all the gold from the Golden Land.

One shall be, the resurrection of the souls of all the dead.

One shall be, even the resurrection of the lost love.

One shall be, to put the mage to sleep for all time.

Sleep peacefully, my most beloved mage, Erza.

"What? What the hell is this?" Natsu asked as he read it while heading out of the mansion. He prayed that it was just a weird thing Purehito had put up. ...If only.

* * *

**Until next time, (See you again)! (Have a nice day)!**


	3. Legend of the scarlet mage 3

**In regards to their clothes, assume that everyone wears what their counterparts do in **_**Umineko **_**and replace the One-Winged Eagle with the Fairy Tail blazon. Erza's main outfit, though, isn't Beatrice's main outfit; It will still be her armor. Also, all of their ages will be changed to their counterparts' ages. **

* * *

**(xxxx)=English **

* * *

**The following is a non-profit fanfic. Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are all owned by Kodansha, Studio Deen, TBS, Tokyopop, A-1 Pictures, Satelight, TV Tokyo, Funimation, 07th Expansion, Taito, Alchemist, Square Enix, UHF Stations, NIS America, Hiro Mashima, ****Kei Natsumi, Jirō Suzuki, Sōichirō, Taka Aki, Hinase Momoyama, Eita Mizuno, and Ryukishi07.** **Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

"My beloved hometown, the sweetfish river running through it.

You who seek the Golden Land, follow its path downstream and seek the key.

If you follow the river downstream, you will find a village. In the village, look for the shore the two will tell you of. There sleeps the key to the Golden Land.

He who lays hand upon the key shall travel under the rules below.

At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key.

At the second twilight, those who remain shall tear apart the two who are close.

At the third twilight, those who remain shall praise my honorable name on high.

At the fourth twilight, gouge the head and kill.

At the fifth twilight, gouge the chest and kill.

At the sixth twilight, gouge the belly and kill.

At the seventh twilight, gouge the knee and kill.

At the eighth twilight, gouge the leg and kill.

At the ninth twilight, the mage shall be revived and none shall be left alive.

At the tenth twilight, the journey shall end and you should reach the village of gold.

The mage will praise the wise, and should bestow four treasures.

One shall be, all the gold from the Golden Land.

One shall be, the resurrection of the souls of all the dead.

One shall be, even the resurrection of the lost love.

One shall be, to put the mage to sleep for all time.

Sleep peacefully, my most beloved mage, Erza." That's what that twisted epitaph said. When I finally got down to the beach, I told everyone about this, but they seemed to already know it. I was really surprised, though, to learn that this was apparently a riddle pointing to Gramps' gold!

"Whoever solves it will be awarded the gold and all of grandfather's inheritance," Gray-aniki said. "At least, that's what our relatives say. If the ten tons of gold were converted to cash, it would total at least 20 billion Jewels."

"That much?" Lucy asked. "That'd be great if it were true!" I then suggested that we try to solve it to make our rich selves even richer! However, there's a reason why no one's cracked it: it's confusing as hell. The first part with the sweetfish and stuff might be talking about his hometown, but from what I've heard, he didn't like it that much, so it wouldn't make sense for it to be there. Plus, it was destroyed in an earthquake, so he wouldn't even recognize it. From there, though, it got even crazier... what the hell did gouging people have to do with gold. And near the end, it says, "At the ninth twilight, the mage shall be revived and none shall be left alive," so does everyone trying to find it just die?

"It really gets weird when the mage is brought in, huh, Natsu?"

"Yeah... felt like there was something strange about it, in the first place..." From what Gramps told us, he's a sorcerer who performed a ritual that summoned up Erza, the "Scarlet Mage," and she awarded him ten tons of gold in exchange for his soul.

"In reality, Erza was probably just some rich girl who loaned him all the gold."

"Yeah! After all, not like something as stupid as a mage could be real!"

"Uu~!"

"What's wrong, Asuka?"

"Uu~! Mages exist, but Natsu doesn't believe! Mages can use magic to do anything! They can give and steal love! They can even fly and make something out of nothing! Uu~!"

"Well... if you _really _want me to believe in mages, I'll do it."

"You should probably say that more seriously, Natsu-sama," Juvia-chan said. "You probably didn't know it, but many times at night, weird things will happen that none of the other servants do, like windows will open or break, and lights will go on and off. Recently, as well, there has been a rumor that Erza-sama steps out of her portrait and roams the manor, as if she's its master during the night. Rogue-kun claims to have seen scarlet butterflies, and Juvia is constantly hearing an extra footstep." That's kinda creepy.

"Uu~. Natsu and Lucy made fun of Erza. You're gonna feel her wrath." What?! Assuming she's real, wrath is not one of the five things a woman has that I want to feel! As I think this, Asuka pulls out two necklaces with scorpions on them and gives them to Lucy and me.

"You're giving us these?" Lucy asked.

"Uu~! If you have these, Erza won't hurt you; mages and demons hate scorpions!" Even if a curse does hit me, Asuka's charm will be enough to protect me! Around that time, tons of black clouds entered the sky, and the wind picked up like crazy. Looks like that typhoon's about to start, and from what the weather said, it's gonna last for days.

* * *

We all headed back to the guest house, Juvia-chan heading to the mansion for work, when Asuka reminds us of the rose Gray-aniki marked for her earlier. This typhoon would destroy it, so we all decided to help look for it. Wherever we looked, though, it wasn't there, but Asuka kept insisting that it was still here. If we didn't get inside soon...

"What is everyone doing here?" It's Aunt Bisca. "Are you looking for something?"

"Uu~! Asuka's rose! Help us find it, mama! Uu~!"

"We marked a weak rose with a candy wrapper, but we can't seem to find it..." Gray-aniki explained.

"Uu~! It's here! Search for it!"

"...I don't see it," Aunt Bisca said. "Are you sure it was over here?"

"Uu~! It _is _here! Mama doesn't believe me, either! Uu~uu~!"

"I believe you. I'm looking, aren't I? And please stop saying 'uu~uu~.'"

"Uu~! It's here! It's here, but it isn't! Uu~!"

"Then maybe someone pulled it out. And I told you to stop saying 'uu~uu~.'"

"Uu~! Uu~! Uu~! Who took Asuka's rose?! Give it back! Uu~!" And then, out of nowhere, Aunt Bisca slapped Asuka across the face. What'd I tell you? Best mom ever, right?! ...In all seriousness, though, this is flat out child abuse.

"I told you to stop saying that!"

"Asuka's rose! Uu~! Uu~!"

"Stop that! Don't you get laughed at enough by your classmates for that strange phrase?! Knock it off, already!" Asuka kept crying, and Aunt Bisca kept slapping her.

"Aunt Bisca, you shouldn't be so violent towards your own kid..."

"Be quiet, Natsu! Asuka's already nine years old! She doesn't have a single friend because of that strange phrase! This affects her future, dammit!"

"Uu~! Uu~!"

"I said stop it!" Asuka got another slap. I couldn't just stand there and watch this, but Gray-aniki said that we shouldn't get involved because this was their problem. He was right, but it still sucked...

* * *

**3rd. Person POV**

In his private study, Purehito Dragneel gazes at the storm, alone.

"...Let us begin our miraculous banquet, Erza," he says. "There are plenty of people to choose from. My vulturous children, their spouses, their kids, the servants, Makarov, and even me! Eat whoever you like! No one shall interfere! I will wager everything on this!" He then removed a ring from his left hand that bore the Mark of the Fairy. "First, I shall return the ring that indicates the head of the Dragneel family to you!" He then threw the ring out the window into the distance. "Erza... just to see you smile once more, I will sacrifice everything..." He then burst into tears. "ERZA~! (OH DESIRE)!"

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

Alright, it's official, I hate Aunt Bisca. When Rogue told us that it was time for dinner, he was surprised that Asuka wasn't here with us, meaning that Aunt Bisca just left her outside in this storm for an hour. When we got out to look for her, lo and behold, Aunt Bisca was there, actually _worried _about her daughter! If you really cared, you wouldn't have been hitting her in the first place, you bipolar bitch! And when we finally find her, Asuka, with an umbrella I didn't know existed, just accepts her apology. God dammit. Anyway, after that, we all head inside for dinner, Gramps not joining us, when Aunt Bisca asks Asuka who gave her the umbrella. Her answer was... Erza. That's right. The "Scarlet Mage" Erza apparently gave Asuka an umbrella. There's no way, right? But... everyone's alibis make it impossible for one of us to have done it, so who was it? Mages aren't real! As I think this, Asuka suddenly pulls out an envelope from her bag with the symbol of the Dragneel family on it, making all of our parents turn towards it with crazy eyes.

"That envelope... and the wax seal, with the Mark of the Fairy..." Dr. Dreyar started. "This is one of Purehito-san's letters...!"

"Asuka... where did you get that?" Aunt Bisca asked.

"Erza gave it to me! She said to read it after dinner and said that I was her me... me... 'messenger!' Now then..." She then opened the envelope, pulled out the letter, and started reading in an ominous manner. "'Welcome to Tenroujima, Dragneel family. I am Purehito Dragneel's alchemic adviser, Erza.'" The hell?! "'I have served in accordance to my contract for many years, but today, Purehito-sama has ended it. Please understand that my role as alchemic advisor is over from this day forward.

"'Now, I shall explain the first part of my contract. I, Erza, have loaned Purehito-sama an enormous amount of gold under one condition: at the end of the contract, all of the gold must be returned to me, plus interest.'" This shocked everyone in the room, mostly our parents. "'Hearing this, everyone must be lamenting over how terrible Purehito-sama is... However, there is one way for you all to keep your gold and honor: if one of you manages to locate the hidden gold, I shall relinquish my claims of ownership and return everything that I have taken at that point to the discoverer. To begin my collecting, I have taken the ring of the Dragneel head. You may confirm this by looking at the wax seal on the envelope.'"

"Impossible!" Uncle Jude yelled. "Father would never relinquish his ring! Not only that, but I am left in charge of his finances, so I know how much money he has! There is no gold!"

"Wouldn't that mean the gold is an amount you are unaware of...?" Aunt Ur asked. Asuka then kept reading.

"'As for the location of the gold, you may find it by deciphering the epitaph by my portrait. The condition will apply to anyone who can read it. On that note, please enjoy this game of intellect that Purehito-sama has started.

'Scarlet Mage' Erza."

* * *

After that, things got hectic. Dad and his siblings ran up to Gramps' door, demanding an explanation, and when they all demanded that Asuka tell us who really gave her the letter, she ran to the portrait of Erza and started crying that no one believed that Erza gave her the letter. What a messed up turn of events. I finally come back after six years, and _this _happens?! Stupid letter... who the hell is Erza supposed to be? Probably an assassin sent by Gramps to get rid of his greedy kids. I wouldn't be surprised.

"Everything alright, Natsu-kun?" Sakura-san asked, as she walked into my room.

"Yeah, just thinking if the person who delivered that letter is really the portrait chick with the big titties."

"Do you think she exists?"

"'Erza' is probably just an alias."

"No, I mean, 'does a nineteenth person exist?'"

"What?"

"At first glance, the person who gave Asuka-chan the letter isn't one of the eighteen, so it must be a nineteenth person."

"But in this storm, they'd have to take shelter in the house. When you remember that, there can't be a nineteenth person... meaning one of the eighteen is pretending to be 'Erza.'"

"That's the conclusion you get when you flip the chessboard."

"Man, I just love that saying. Mind if I use it?"

"Over my dead body." Why do I feel like that's gonna bite us in the ass? "Anyway, this theory is full of holes, but it's probably the best one. I don't care about the inheritance, but something like this really gets me excited!"

"I bet it does." My old man then walked in, apparently taking a break from talking to his siblings and really tired.

"Natsu... after the meeting, if you're still up, there's something I want to talk about... as a family..."

"Why not now?"

"I'm not in the mood for it."

"...You're acting pretty weird. What's up?"

"Well... I think I'm going to die tonight..."

"...What...?"

* * *

**The next day**

**6:00 AM**

**Layla's POV**

I never would have guessed that yesterday would be so tiring. The business with Father's inheritance... that letter... and Jude actually having a bar of the alleged gold... it's amazing that I got any sleep at all. I wonder if it was thanks to that charm Lucy gave me.

"Good morning," Rob said, opening my door. "It seems that lightning from yesterday has taken down all of the phones, so I came to deliver your wake-up call in person." Great... we have no phones until the typhoon passes. "Also, Yajima seems to have disappeared before breakfast could be made."

"What? Well, go and whip something up, then!" As I tell Rob this, I notice frightening handprints all over my door that appear to be made of blood. What in the world?! "Who's responsible for this?!"

"I do not know, but I shall take care of it as soon as possible."

"Good!" I then walked away from the door, not being able to stand that any longer. When I arrived at the parlor, I learned from Rogue that, in addition to Yajima, Gildarts, Sakura, Bisca, Juvia, and my own husband have gone missing! This isn't right. How do six people disappear on an island in the middle of a storm? ...Perhaps they are in Father's study, as unlikely as that may be. I should go check and also invite him for breakfast...

* * *

As I thought, they weren't there, and Father didn't wish to leave. However, the words that Father spoke to me truly lifted up my spirits. He said that I was a true member of the Dragneel family... that I bore the Mark of the Fairy in my heart. After that, Rogue said that he saw something odd at the storehouse, so he, the adults(minus Dr. Dreyar), and I went to look. When we got there, I understood what he meant: someone had painted a sort of... demonic symbol on the door.

"It's like someone wants us to look inside..." Rogue said. "Might as well open it up. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get some paint to cover this up." He then opened up the storehouse and revealed... to all of us... to all of us... oh God, why?!

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

"I think I'm going to die tonight..." ...That's what my old man said, and now he's missing. There's no way that it actually happened, right...? As I think this, Rob-san, looking extremely pale, runs in and whispers something to Dr. Dreyar. They both then ran outside, not saying a single word to us kids.

"What was that all about?" Gray-aniki asked.

"Well gang, it looks like we've got a mystery on our hands!" I say with vigor.

"Jinkies!" Lucy added.

"Asuka, wanna see what's goin' on?"

"Uu~. Asuka wants to watch TV."

"Alright, we'll be back soon!" After all, nothing bad could come from this, right? ...Again, my ass feels like it's gonna get bit.

* * *

As the three of us head to the storehouse, I started getting a really, really bad feeling. My head was telling me to go back, but my body wouldn't listen. When we got there, there was a really foul odor... like iron, or something...

"You must not come over here!" Aunt Layla yelled. "Return to the mansion at once! This doesn't concern you!"

"What do you...?" I then notice some clothes in the storehouse that I'd recognize anywhere. "Isn't that Sakura-san and my old man in there?!" I pushed my aunt aside to get a better look. ...I wish I hadn't. I wish I had just gone back and not seen that. I... I knew it was them, because of their clothes... but why didn't they have faces?! And when I looked around some more, Uncle Jude, Aunt Bisca, Yajima-san... they were all the same! They were all dead, and they didn't have faces! What the hell is going on here?!

* * *

**Until next time, (See you again)! (Have a nice day)!**


	4. Legend of the scarlet mage 4

**In regards to their clothes, assume that everyone wears what their counterparts do in **_**Umineko **_**and replace the One-Winged Eagle with the Fairy Tail blazon. Erza's main outfit, though, isn't Beatrice's main outfit; It will still be her armor. Also, all of their ages will be changed to their counterparts' ages. **

* * *

**(xxxx)=English **

* * *

**The following is a non-profit fanfic. Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are all owned by Kodansha, Studio Deen, TBS, Tokyopop, A-1 Pictures, Satelight, TV Tokyo, Funimation, 07th Expansion, Taito, Alchemist, Square Enix, UHF Stations, NIS America, Hiro Mashima, ****Kei Natsumi, Jirō Suzuki, Sōichirō, Taka Aki, Hinase Momoyama, Eita Mizuno, and Ryukishi07.** **Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

So, let's recap on some things, shall we? I go to my family's yearly reunion for the first time in six years, and during said reunion, a mysterious person calling themselves "Erza" says that all of Gramps gold will belong to him/her, and the next day, I discover that my dad, my step-mom, my aunt, my uncle, and my chef, are all dead. ...Fuck.

"Based on the rigor mortis, they've been dead for at least six hours," Dr. Dreyar said. "I'm not an expert on autopsies, but it looks like what we're seeing was done _after _they died." So not only were they killed, but the murder defiled their corpses?! Dammit! Old man, you were a pain in the ass, but you didn't deserve this! Sakura-san... you were like a big sister to me. Yajima-san, Uncle Jude, Aunt Bisca... why did this happen?!

"Father... only five people are dead, right?" Gray-aniki asked.

"No... there's one more body," Uncle Jura responded. Was there another body? I must not have seen it. ...Wait. The people that went missing... they were my old man, Sakura-san, Uncle Jude, Aunt Bisca, Yajima-san... and...

"Is that... Juvia-chan?" Uncle Jura only nodded his head solemnly. For the first time since he got here, Gray-aniki cried, and Lucy and I knew why.

Lucy told me about it last night: Gray-aniki and Juvia-chan started going out awhile back. Dammit! Why did so many of our friends and loved ones have to suffer like this?!

"Gray, what face did Juvia-chan make at you the last time you saw her?"

"...A beautiful smile."

"Then please don't come to look at the body. Please go on believing that that smile was the last face she made." Dammit all! Now that I'm looking at the body, I can see that Juvia-chan still has half her face. If hers was completely gone, like the others, we could've said it was someone else wearing the same outfit! Now Gray-aniki and Rogue will always know that she's dead!

"Father... is Juvia-chan wearing a ring... on her left hand?"

"Hm? She is. Was she engaged? I feel terribly sorry for her fiancé..." You proposed to her, aniki? Isn't "Till death do us part" supposed to happen _after _the wedding?

"Gray... did you, with this girl..." This is _not _the time, Aunt Ur!

"Ur!" Thank you, Uncle! "I don't know who Juvia-chan was engaged to, but she and her loved one wanted to spend eternity together. The proper thing to do is acknowledge that... and respect it."

* * *

Lucy, Gray-aniki, Rogue, and I went back to the house after that so the adults could try and figure out some stuff. Even though we were already dealing with a lot, there was something even harder that we had to deal with: telling nine-year-old Asuka that her mom was dead. At least, we _thought _that. She actually took it quite well. A little _too _well, actually. ...She started laughing like a maniac after we told her the news. When we get back to the mainland, we should have Asuka tested for schizophrenia.

Anyway, the adults came back a little after that. Aunt Layla and Aunt Ur went to tell Gramps about what happened. While they did that, Granny Babasaama found a lot of blood in the dining room, meaning that they were killed there, where we all ate food and relaxed. I wish that time of leisure would return to us. It wasn't at all helpful that Asuka was acting creepily calm, saying that they were just the... something chosen by the... something. What was she talking about?

"What do you mean the radio's broken?!" Aunt Layla yelled at Rob. I guess she and Aunt Ur came back. ...Wait, what about the radio?

"My apologies," he responded. "We should be able to use the radio of the boat that will be coming tomorrow."

"There aren't any here?!"

"Even if there were, in such weather..." Wait... so we're stuck here 'till tomorrow? With the bastard who killed six people?

"Maybe Father would have an idea!" Uncle Jura said. "We should go ask him!"

"Sorry, but when Layla and I went to Father's study, he wasn't there," Aunt Ur said.

"Purehito-sama left his study?" Rogue asked.

"I'm surprised, as well..." Aunt Layla said. From what I've heard, Gramps never leaves his study. Not just because of the occult stuff... he's got a bed, bathroom, and a bunch of food in there; his study's basically another house! Why would he leave? Knowing him, he might've randomly gone on a walk, so is that it? Or... is he dead, too...?

* * *

Aunt Layla, Granny Babasaama, Rogue, and Rob went to make sure everything was locked while the rest of us ate breakfast. Is this really right, though, to be eating like this when there's a murderer on the loose?

"That's quite a scary face, Natsu-kun," Aunt Ur said to me.

"Sorry, just thinking about what I'm gonna do to the bastard responsible for this."

"I see. Anyway, I'd just like to offer my deepest condolences for your parents. I can't even imagine how Meredy-chan will react." Meredy... my little sister. She couldn't come this year because she got sick... she sure was lucky, in a certain way. But what am I gonna do when I get home? How do you look a six-year-old girl in the eye and say that her parents are dead? Asuka took it well, but she's older, and also has schizophrenia; it won't be the same!

"Do you think this has to do with that letter?"

"It's hard to say how relevant it is, but my siblings and I all agreed that it was a part of a scheme of Father's to deal with the inheritance problem. The 'Erza' Asuka-chan met was probably Juvia-chan in a wig."

"So... you also think 'Erza' is one of us?"

"Isn't that obvious? How could there be another person on the island?"

"So, if 'Erza' is one of the eighteen... someone here is the bastard who killed my old man and the others."

"...Hey, Natsu-kun, that storehouse can only be opened with one specific key, and only the servants are allowed access to it. All the keys look very identical, so unless you were familiar with the keys, you probably wouldn't find it. Not only that, but to kill six people, drag them somewhere else, and paint such an intricate design would be difficult for just _one _person to do. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"...Aunt Ur, are you saying that the servants are accomplices?"

"If they are, then they'd kill us all, wouldn't they? Right now, the only ones who could defend themselves are my husband, Gray, you, and me, what with my martial arts. We should be on our guard, right?*giggle*" ...I don't like that theory. It's too easy to come to. If you "flip the chessboard," it's impossible for the servants to have done it. Why would they hide the bodies somewhere only they could get to? That would make them too suspicious. Plus, why would Juvia-chan and Yajima-san be killed? It's more likely that someone is just trying to frame the servants. Most importantly... what would the murderer even have to gain from this? "In terms of profit, I'm probably the murderer."

"..."

"That's what you were thinking about, right? With all of my siblings dead, I'm the head of the Dragneel family, and all of the inheritance belongs to me."

"That's not funny..."

"Well, it's the reason I'll be suspected, anyway."

"So is the culprit trying to make _you _look suspicious, Aunt Ur? Care to give me an alibi?"

"My husband and I were discussing things with the other parents, but we got tired and went to bed before them. Rob-san can testify, though if my hypothesis is correct, that would mean nothing."

"That's for sure! But it still seems like the odds of it being the servants is higher than it being you."

"Is it? If I just wanted money, wouldn't it be safer to make their deaths look like accidents?"

"Yeah... a sole person would make that mistake, but in a group, it would probably be done more carefully."

"That's why I'm feeling blue right now. When the police come, I'll be the one with the most severe interrogations. How troubling..." It's easy to blame the servants. It's also easy to blame Aunt Ur. No matter how many times I flip the chessboard, I'm forced to flip it again. I'm getting nowhere here...

Hey, Uncle Jura's drawing something. "What's that, Uncle Jura?"

"Oh, Natsu-kun. This is what was painted on the storehouse door. I thought redrawing it might be useful."

"Pretty weird, though."

"Yeah, the kind of weird grandfather deals with!" Lucy said. "Where'd he go? I wanna ask him a few questions about this!" Yeah, only Gramps would know what that is, so is it a sort of message to him? Where did he run off to when we need him the most?

"Asuka-chan, you know a bit about the occult. Do you think you could tell us if you know anything?" Gray-aniki asked.

"...Hihi." ? Asuka? "Kihihihihihihi. Kihihihihihihihi." Asuka? Is that really you, Asuka...?! "You're all wrong. Kihihihi. You still don't get it? Kihihihihi." Yeah... she's definitely a schizo. "This is the seventh magic square of the sun. The words are in Hebrew. The words at the top, bottom, left, and right are the angels of wind, fire, water, and earth. Written diagonally are the names of the four great kings. After that, there was Psalms 116:16-17 from the old testament in the circumference. ...You should at least read the bible. Kihihihihi."

"Amazing... and what does it mean?"

"If it's engraved in gold and made into a talisman, then the one who wears it can escape from any confinement. 'Confinement' refers to material things, bonds, or mental confinement."

"But... what does that have to do with the corpses?" I asked, very scared of this crazy little girl.

"The circle wasn't for the people. The people were for the circle. In Psalms 116:16-17, it clearly states, 'The Lord has freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice an offering of thanks to you and call on the name of the Lord,' right?"

"Then... the six people... were sacrifices? For some ritual... some trivial thing... six people were killed?!"

"Kihihihi. It wasn't trivial. They were the sacrifices for an important mage. Mages exist, you know." Asuka then went back to her creepy laughing. Sacrifices for a mage? For Erza? Erza did this? No, mages don't exist, right? A mage isn't responsible... right?! What's going to happen next?! What should I _do _next?!

* * *

**Until next time, (See you again)! (Have a nice day)!**


	5. Legend of the scarlet mage 5

**In regards to their clothes, assume that everyone wears what their counterparts do in **_**Umineko **_**and replace the One-Winged Eagle with the Fairy Tail blazon. Erza's main outfit, though, isn't Beatrice's main outfit; It will still be her armor. Also, all of their ages will be changed to their counterparts' ages.**

* * *

**(xxxx)=English**

* * *

******The following is a non-profit fanfic. Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are all owned by Kodansha, Studio Deen, TBS, Tokyopop, A-1 Pictures, Satelight, TV Tokyo, Funimation, 07th Expansion, Taito, Alchemist, Square Enix, UHF Stations, NIS America, Hiro Mashima, ****Kei Natsumi, Jirō Suzuki, Sōichirō, Taka Aki, Hinase Momoyama, Eita Mizuno, and Ryukishi07.** **Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

Alright, calm down, Natsu, calm down. Don't let your schizophrenic cousin freak you out. There's no such thing as magic. There's no such thing as mages! The only thing that matters is that the sonuva bitch who killed your parents is still on this island, and you're gonna be the one to catch him!

I gotta flip the chessboard on the culprit. He knew that he'd be killing in the middle of a typhoon, so he knew there'd be no escape. When you put that together with the intricate design and the state of the corpses, it doesn't seem like he regrets anything, at all. The only meaning I can find is that he _wanted _us to find them. That much is evident from Gramps' disappearance; seeing that magic square must've caused his disappearance. Unless... this is a trick to make us believe he's involved. What the hell is this guy expecting...?

As I contemplated this, I notice the door opening. Looks like the adults are back and (Holy Shit)! Aunt Layla's got a gun!

"In place of my husband, I am obligated to protect everyone," is what she said. Nearly scared the crap outta me, Aunt Layla. "I was unable to find Father, but all of the doors and windows are locked. For the time being, we should all stay here."

"Yes. Everyone 'staying together' is the best option."

"...What are you implying, Ur-san?"

"Nothing. Aren't I just agreeing with you?" Aunt Layla thinks an outsider is the killer, while Aunt Ur thinks it was an inside job. Not counting Gramps, the eleven of us in this room are the only confirmed humans on the island. If Erza exists, then I don't have to suspect anyone. ...But since it's impossible for a mage to be real, then, going by common sense... one of us is a murderer.

* * *

It's one in the afternoon, four hours since we locked ourselves in the parlor. Feeling thirsty, I go to the kitchen for some water, when I begin to overhear the servants having an _interesting_ conversation, starting with Rogue saying, "Why did Erza-sama have to choose Juvia as a sacrifice? There were others to choose... so why?!" ...Let's see where this goes.

"It's a real shame..." Granny Babasaama said.

"...Please move past it," Rob said. "Juvia just had bad luck. If her luck was a little better, any one of us could have been killed in her place."

"...Rob-sama, you said that marks similar to blood were on Madam's door, right?" Rogue said. "Doesn't that mean that Erza-sama tried to sacrifice Madam, but couldn't? Why could she go free? If Madam was chosen, Juvia would have lived...!"

"Is that right?"

"! Natsu-sama? What are you doing outside of the parlor?"

"I was just practicing my sexy male prostitute poses in the corridor when I just happened to hear you guys talking about Erza. Mind if I join in? Since _my _family was killed, I think your answer is an obligatory (yes)."

"...Understood..."

"Good. Now, obviously first, who is Erza?"

"She is a mage that lives in the forest."

"I'm serious, here. I heard enough of that when I was a kid."

"I'm serious, as well, Natsu-sama. Erza-sama, who gave the Master ten tons of gold and served by him for years, really exists."

"...Huh? What, do you guys get paid to go along with Gramps' story?" I waited for a (yes), but the three of them just stared at me. "Wait, so... a person named 'Erza' really exists?"

"Yes," Rob said. "She has served the Master even longer than I have."

"Then there really _is _a nineteenth person? Where?"

"Hohoho," Granny Babasaama laughed. "Erza-sama doesn't have a form."

"? ...What?" From there, they all started talking about how Erza doesn't have a body and sometimes shows up as scarlet butterflies. What the hell are they talking about? There's no way something like this can be true. There's no such thing as mages, dammit! Even while I'm thinking this, the servants' speech gets creepier and creepier, and they're saying she's here, right now! What are they...

"Kihihihihihihi." ! I know that laugh... Asuka! I turn around and, just as I thought, my schizophrenic cousin is right there. "You can't see Erza, Natsu? You're the type whose body naturally rejects magic, so you can't make contact with Erza in any way. You're the type she hates the most. Want me to teach you about Erza? Though, since you lack a sixth sense, you wouldn't believe me, right? Kihihihihi."

"Asuka, who gave you that letter yesterday?"

"Erza. How many times do I have to repeat it? Erza 'exists.'" And now, everyone's looking at me. Or, rather... behind me? Is Erza... right here, right now? "You're pretty fortunate, Natsu. If it wasn't for the scorpion charm I gave you, Erza surely would have killed you."

"Is that right? ...HAHAHAHA! It's useless! It's all useless! I _lost _the charm! So much for its 'protection!' I only believe in what I can see! You can all believe what you like, but _I _decide what _I _believe in!"

"Is that right? Kihihihi. That's fine though, because Erza will soon be visible to all. Running is futile. Denying is futile. In the end, Erza will be resurrected, and there's nothing that can be done to stop it." Like hell! Mages aren't real! I'll never succumb to that illusion!

* * *

Asuka and I returned to the parlor after that, and I decided to flip the chessboard on what Erza is to Lucy and Gray-aniki. "On this island, everything that can't be explained in human means is attributed to the mage. The nineteenth person is using this to his advantage as a mask for his identity, but I ain't pleased with this."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"The murders occurred between late night and early dawn. During that time, everyone's alibi's are vague. If the nineteenth person wanted to reveal his existence, he should have done the crime when no one else possibly could have. He failed to do this, so it's hard to believe a nineteenth person exists. Even so, why did the letter implying a nineteenth person and that magic square appear?"

"Are you implying that one of the eighteen wants us to believe Erza exists?"

"That's what I get from flipping the chessboard, Gray-aniki."

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"I just had a terrible thought. In the letter, it said Erza would be collecting 'interest...'" What's he saying now? ...Wait...

"Are you saying that 'interest' means all of the people here...?"

"Given what's happened, it's possible that the collection of interest is being done through the murders..."

"Then... does he plan to kill all of us? Why start with just six, then? Why not get everyone in one go?"

"The letter stated that Erza will lose all of her claims of ownership if someone solves the epitaph."

"So the culprit's just playing with us, then...? Telling us to solve the riddle and also figure out who he is so he'll have time to find the gold, himself..." We relayed this theory to the others in the room.

"Ridiculous!" was what Aunt Layla said. "There's no hidden gold. What would be the point in solving it? I can agree with the aim of embezzlement, but if that's true, why kill the Dragneel family from the start?"

"True," Aunt Ur said. "If the criminal wants the gold, they'd want to interrogate the ones closest to Father. Going further, he should just go after Father, entirely."

"However, Purehito-san isn't one who would give in to ordinary threats..." Dr. Dreyar's right about that. A crazy guy like Gramps would probably never give in to someone. His resistance would force whoever got him to just kill him and leave him out in the open. But since this hasn't happened, doesn't that mean he's been kidnapped? I said this to the others.

"So you're saying that Father has been kidnapped and the culprit is killing the people here until he reveals the location of the gold? How interesting."

"What's interesting about that, Ur-san?!"

"...Layla-san, who was the last to see Father?"

"Probably me, when I greeted him this morning. That reminds me, I still have your key, Rob." Aunt Layla returned the key, but Aunt Ur suddenly got a scary look on her face.

"Hey, Rob-san, Father's study can only be opened with a key and a button, right?"

"That's correct. Only the button atop the Master's desk and the key he and I both hold can open the auto-lock door."

"Are there any... hidden doors?" What is she playing at?

"There's nothing of the sort." The other servants and Dr. Dreyar agreed on this.

"So there's only one entrance and exit, then? Good! Now I can tell my story.

"Layla-san was the last to see Father at around 7AM, right? As you might recall, I met with you as you exited the study. Unbeknownst to you, however, I put a piece of paper in the crack of the door."

"?"

"When the two of us went to inform Father of what had happened at around 9AM, he wasn't there... but the paper I stuffed into the crack fell at the moment the door was opened."

"Hold on..." I started, "are you saying that, from 7AM to 9AM, the door was never opened?"

"Indeed. How _did _he leave without opening the door?"

"Hold it, Aunt Ur! Grandfather could have noticed it and put it back in!" Lucy yelled.

"I folded it too small to be that easily noticed. Even if he did, I saw that it was exactly where I put it originally, so how would he have been able to do that? How did Father leave his study, Layla-san?"

"I don't know! I want to know that, as well!"

"Layla-san, given what's been said, isn't it more likely that Father was never there to begin with?" Uncle Jura asked.

"Are you sayin' Mom's lyin' about meeting Grandfather today?!"

"Mind your language, Lucy!"

"You're the only one claiming to have seen him, Layla-san," Aunt Ur said. "Father couldn't have left that closed room, so where is he?"

"Why would Mom frickin' lie about that?!" Lucy yelled. "There ain't no frickin' merit!"

"Isn't there? Even though Father's missing, it's safe to assume that he's dead. If Layla-san had killed him and kept his body hidden for a later time, it would be easy for her to form an alibi, right?"

"If the police do an autopsy, they'd get the time of death! There ain't no way that trick'd work!"

"Autopsies are mere approximations; mistakes happen very often.

"It's not like I _want _to doubt you, so just give us proof of your innocence, okay~?"

"What innocence do I need to prove?! This morning, I certainly met Father! He said that I bore the Mark of the Fairy in my heart! Are you trying to deny that?! That is unforgivable!"

"...You know, it takes seven years for a person to be proclaimed dead. During that time, you'd be in charge of the head family's money, right? ...Keeping Father 'alive' while you monopolize on his fortune is quite clever, isn't it?!"

"How dare you!" Aunt Layla then picked up her gun and pointed it right at Aunt Ur's head. "I am Layla Dragneel! How _dare_ you make such remarks to the acting head of the family!"

"Go ahead and shoot me! That would only prove I'm right, wouldn't it?! You would only shoot me because you can't think of a lie to cover up the truth, but allow me to expose it: you pushed Father out the window and into the courtyard! When you left to 'check on the locks,' you actually hid the corpse for a later time!"

"YOUUUU! Why do I have to suffer such humiliation?!"

"...Ihihihihi. It's useless. It's all useless, Aunt Ur."

"Oh? Is that right... Natsu-kun?"

* * *

**Until next time, (See you again)! (Have a nice day)!**


	6. Legend of the scarlet mage 6

**In regards to their clothes, assume that everyone wears what their counterparts do in **_**Umineko **_**and replace the One-Winged Eagle with the Fairy Tail blazon. Erza's main outfit, though, isn't Beatrice's main outfit; It will still be her armor. Also, all of their ages will be changed to their counterparts' ages.**

* * *

**(xxxx)=English**

* * *

******The following is a non-profit fanfic. Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are all owned by Kodansha, Studio Deen, TBS, Tokyopop, A-1 Pictures, Satelight, TV Tokyo, Funimation, 07th Expansion, Taito, Alchemist, Square Enix, UHF Stations, NIS America, Hiro Mashima, ****Kei Natsumi, Jirō Suzuki, Sōichirō, Taka Aki, Hinase Momoyama, Eita Mizuno, and Ryukishi07.** **Please support the official release.**

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

"How dare you!" Aunt Layla then picked up her gun and pointed it right at Aunt Ur's head. "I am Layla Dragneel! How _dare_ you make such remarks to the acting head of the family!"

"Go ahead and shoot me! That would only prove I'm right, wouldn't it?! You would only shoot me because you can't think of a lie to cover up the truth, but allow me to expose it: you pushed Father out the window and into the courtyard! When you left to 'check on the locks,' you actually hid the corpse for a later time!"

"YOUUUU! Why do I have to suffer such humiliation?!"

"...Ihihihihi. It's useless. It's all useless, Aunt Ur."

"Oh? Is that right... Natsu-kun?"

"That's the worst checkmate bluff ever. I'd give it a 65, at best!"

"So you're saying my theory is incorrect, then? In that case, _do_ enlighten us on what else can be thought."

"Thought you'd never ask.

"Your theory is certainly interesting, Aunt Ur. It has pretty much no flaws, so anyone hearing it would accuse Aunt Layla. But the problem isn't 'how did someone cause Gramps to disappear,' it's 'how did he leave the room!'"

"?"

"From the paper wedged into the door and the locked window, we know that the study was a closed room... or, at least, that what it _seems_ like! Isn't it possible that Gramps did something like hide under his bed when his room was being searched?! Then, after you and Aunt Layla left, he exited the room after the paper had fallen, thus explaining how he's gone in a way that doesn't violate the 'closed room' _or _make Aunt Layla a murderer!"

"Natsu..." Aunt Layla muttered as she lowered her gun.

"Ridiculous!" Aunt Ur shouted. "Why would Father do something like that?! Don't you think that would be rather strange?!"

"Maybe, but it definitely stops Aunt Layla from being falsely accused. Your theory might have her in check, but it's not a checkmate!"

"I'm the oldest in this family! What I say should be law!"

"Like that matters! You haven't given any evidence for a conclusion! I, Natsu Dragneel, won't let you flip the chessboard with an answer like that! If anything, you and Uncle Jura killed those six people! Your alibis are the vaguest ones here, after all! Plus, Gramps' inheritance is pretty big motivation, isn't it?!"

"That's right!" Lucy shouted. "You're the most suspicious out of all of us! If you didn't kill everyone, then prove it right now!" Then, Lucy started coughing like crazy. Apparently, she developed asthma since I last saw her, and it looks pretty bad. Good thing Dr. Dreyar had an inhaler on him.

"...Let's just stop it. When the boat comes tomorrow, we'll be able to call the police and have them handle it. I want to catch the bastard who did this... but I don't want to suspect any of the eighteen people."

* * *

**3rd. Person POV**

After that, everyone calmed down and agreed to stop the interrogations. Ur, feeling it best to be away from Layla at the moment, retired to a guest room alongside Jura. Right now, the time was 7:00 PM, and Rob and Rogue had gone to their room to get them for dinner. At the first knock, though, there was no answer from either person.

"Maybe they're sleeping..." Rogue said. The two were ready to leave under that assumption, but Rogue and Rob saw something under the door that sent a chill through his system: the same kind of envelope Asuka read at the table yesterday.

"There's no mistake..." Rob said, picking up the letter with a handkerchief to not get fingerprints on it, "this is the Master's seal and envelope."

"Then... do you think..."

"Ur-sama!" Rob then knocked on the door with tremendous force. "Please respond! Ur-sama!" Still not getting an answer, he pulled out his master key to unlock the door, but when he tried to open it, he found that the chain was on.

_The chain is on?! I don't hear any people in there, but I hear the TV and see lights. Still, though... there are no signs of humans..._

"I'll call the Madam and Dr. Dreyar! Rogue, go with Babasaama and get a chain cutter!"

"Y-Yes!"

* * *

_I have to hurry! _Rogue thought as he and Babasaama headed back to the room after getting the chain cutter. _Every second counts! I have to open it as fast as I can! ...Though... they might already be..._ Then, Rogue came to halt as he saw a demonic magic square on the door that sent Babasaama into a state of panic. _It hasn't even been five minutes since Rob and I left here, so how could this be here? Who could have made it? Does this mean..._ Not wanting to think about it, Rogue cut the chain and opened the door. When he and Babasaama walked in, they were met with a truly horrible sight: Ur on a bed, Jura in the bath, both with odd, metallic objects jammed into their foreheads.

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

Us kids heard some commotion coming from Aunt Ur's, so we hurried over there to see what was up. ...We should stop doing that.

"UWAAAAAH! Who did this?! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!" Gray-aniki shouted as he cried over his mom's corpse. Somehow, in the time since we last saw them, Aunt Ur and Uncle Jura were stabbed in the head with some weird ice pick things... what the hell?! Doesn't this bastard have a single ounce of compassion?! Juvia-chan, Aunt Ur, Uncle Jura... that's _three _important people Gray-aniki's lost, and on the same day! Isn't this too cruel?!

"It's useless. It's all useless. That bastard probably thinks we're too scared to do anything, but I'll turn this over! I won't shed tears of sorrow again...! I'll catch this guy with my own bare hands...!" ...After that, we were heading back to the parlor to open that letter Rob and Rogue found, when Asuka suddenly stopped.

"Uu~. It really stinks."

"Yeah, it does... is something burning? Where's this coming from...?"

"I'll go check the kitchen," Granny Babasaama said, with Rob telling Rogue to go with her. After they left, I started talking to Gray-aniki about the murder of his parents. The chain was in, so you couldn't go into the room from the outside: it was a closed room. Despite this, Aunt Ur and Uncle Jura were still killed.

"Then, are you saying that the culprit... didn't go in or out of the room?" Lucy asked.

"That's what it looks like. It's a perfect closed room, impossible for a human...!"

"Uu~. Satisfied, Natsu? Kihihihihihi."

"?! What do you mean, Asuka?"

"You didn't want to suspect any of the eighteen, so you wished Erza was the culprit, right?" ! Maybe I said that, but... wait, I also said... "You also wanted 'a murder a human couldn't have done,' didn't you? You should believe in mages now, and yet, you're so selfish. Kihihihihihihihihihihi!" Alright, that's enough of that! It's time to take a lesson from Aunt Bisca and perform some child abuse by hitting this girl on the head! "OW!"

"People were just killed, so stop laughing like that, ya crazy schizo! Now what was that magic square on the door?!"

"Kihihi. It's a simple one, so I figured you would know." I hit her again.

"I don't, so spill it!"

"...That's the first magic square of the moon. Its first power is opening any door, regardless of how it's shut." So, this is to strengthen the mage theory again, eh? "Its second power is allowing you to open an unopenable door in a situation where all doors are closed. Erza's provoking you, you know. She's asking, 'Does a human like Natsu understand how to open this door?' Kihihihihi!" And third time's the charm! "OW!"

"Fine, I'll take on the 'mage's' challenge!"

"But..." Lucy started, "how could it even be done..."

"Kihihihihi. It's not something you would understand... kihihihihi!"

"Asuka-chan, mages and demons aren't real." You're barkin' up the wrong tree here, Gray-aniki. "I don't know who the culprit is, but it was definitely a human."

"HAH?! It's useless. It's all useless!" Stealing my catch phrase, eh?! "Kihihihihihihi! Hurry up and accept it! Asuka's been saying it from the start, hasn't she? Erza 'exists,' you know? Kihihihihihihi!"

* * *

**3rd. Person POV**

Rogue and Babasaama found that the smell came from the boiler room. As they tried to figure out what it could be, Rogue heard a door closing, despite that being impossible. There shouldn't be any humans they know down in the boiler room, so this told Rogue one thing: the culprit was down there. Assuring himself of this, Rogue left Babasaama in the hall and ran down into the boiler room.

Going down there only made the mysterious stink stronger for Rogue. Not knowing who he might face, he quickly armed himself with a cleaver to prepare for the worst.

"...You're here, aren't you?" Rogue asked aloud. As he did, from seemingly nowhere, scarlet butterflies began flying into the room. "...I won't be deluded by your words anymore... Erza!

"In roulette, you bet on either numbers or the colors red or black to try and win... in a low-risk bet, the payoff isn't much... but the opposite could earn you a great sum of money. The Master called that a 'miracle,' but I have no interest in that. In roulette, there is a special '0' space that can completely clear the board. ...I decided... that if Juvia died, and I lived... I would sacrifice my body to bring your roulette to nothing! This is a rule I created all on my own! I'm no longer furniture... I'm the zero in your roulette! Go wait in hell for another 1000 years to be summoned! ERZA~~~!" Rogue jumped up to cut... something, but before he could do a thing, he was shot in the chest by an object similar to the ones that killed Ur and Jura and fell to his knees, barely clinging to life.

"I won't... let you have the... satisfaction!" With all of his strength, Rogue grabbed the object and pulled it out of his chest.

* * *

**Until next time, (See you again)! (Have a nice day)!**


	7. Legend of the scarlet mage 7

**In regards to their clothes, assume that everyone wears what their counterparts do in **_**Umineko **_**and replace the One-Winged Eagle with the Fairy Tail blazon. Erza's main outfit, though, isn't Beatrice's main outfit; It will still be her armor. Also, all of their ages will be changed to their counterparts' ages.**

* * *

**(xxxx)=English**

* * *

**The following is a non-profit fanfic. Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are all owned by Kodansha, Studio Deen, TBS, Tokyopop, A-1 Pictures, Satelight, TV Tokyo, Funimation, 07th Expansion, Taito, Alchemist, Square Enix, UHF Stations, NIS America, Hiro Mashima, Kei Natsumi, Jirō Suzuki, Sōichirō, Taka Aki, Hinase Momoyama, Eita Mizuno, and support the official release. **

* * *

**Natsu's POV**

"Rogue-san?! Someone help!" That was what Granny Babasaama yelled by the boiler room. When we came to see what was up, we saw Rogue lying on the ground, bleeding profusely. The son of a bitch got us again! But wait... the door to the courtyard's open! I can still catch him! Six people wasn't enough, so you killed three more, eh?! Who the hell are you?! What do you want?!

* * *

...I didn't catch anyone. The culprit got away again. ...People die when they're killed, you know. Those people... they won't come back, so why would someone do this?

...I headed back inside. Rob said that Dr. Dreyar was treating Rogue, but he probably wouldn't make it. What the hell is that thing he got stabbed with, anyway? It's the same thing that stabbed Aunt Ur and Uncle Jura. A "stake," I guess... looks like something for a satanic ritual.

...That smell just got really strong, all of a sudden. Looks like it's coming from where Aunt Layla and the others are, right now. Wonder what it... (Oh my God)! A... a corpse! And with a stake jammed through the head!

"The stench seems to have come from this scorched body in the incinerator," Rob said, pointing out the obvious. "The flames weren't severe, so the body burned for a while and the smell gradually came up to us."

"But... who is this...?"

"I believe... it is the Master's corpse."

"Gramps?! How?!" Rob pointed at the corpse's feet.

"Just like the Master, there are six digits on each foot."

"Individuals with polydactyly are common in the Dragneel family..." Aunt Layla said, crying into a handkerchief. "Father... it is truly regretful..." The boiler room is usually locked, so the culprit must have some sort of master key. Does this murder confirm the existence of a nineteenth person? No... as long as a nineteenth person doesn't appear in front of us, then it has to be one of the eighteen! But... no one could have gone and attacked Rogue. Was he attacked indirectly by means I'm unaware of? Or... wait... the first six corpses didn't have faces, so we don't have complete identification. Is it possible that... the culprit is one of the first six, and one corpse is actually a fake?! It's ridiculous, but not impossible...

As I think this, I see that Rob and Aunt Layla have already left, leaving just me and Asuka. She seems to know something about this mage crap, so I ask her what Erza wants.

"...Kihihihi. Erza will soon revive, and none shall be left alive."

"...How can you laugh like that?! Do you think you'll be safe?! Why aren't you acting like you're in danger?!"

"Erza made a promise that Asuka will be taken to the Golden Land. No one has obligations there, you know. Everyone's together and acts nice to one another for all eternity... That time... is soon." ...With all this mage stuff, Asuka definitely seems odd. But she's always been with us at the time of a murder, so she has an alibi. Still, though... just who _is _this creepy child talking to me...?"

* * *

When we all got out of the boiler room, we went to check on Rogue's condition. I asked Lucy about him... but her tears said enough. Rogue was dead. That makes ten...

"He shouldn't have gone down there alone," Rob said. "He was a fool for rushing ahead, and he paid the price for his mistake."

"Don't talk about Rogue-kun like that!" Lucy yelled. "He found the criminal and fought bravely against him! If Babasaama-san was there, too, the criminal might've hesitated and ran!" Even if Rogue was Lucy's friend, she shouldn't be as upset as she is. I guess what Gray-aniki said was true... that Lucy was in love with him...

"Lucy..." Gray-aniki stops me from walking to her.

"Let's leave her alone, for now," he says. Even though I agreed to this, mentally, a certain schizophrenic little girl had other plans.

"Don't worry, Lucy. You'll get to see Rogue, soon."

"I don't want such consolations, Asuka...!"

"Erza will revive the dead and even our lost love, so, very soon, we'll all be together, again."

"Erza... was _she _the one who killed Rogue-kun?! The same Erza who gave you the letter, Asuka?!" Lucy then grabbed Asuka by the collar. "Where is she?! I'll tear her apart limb from limb! Who's the criminal?! Tell me, dammit!" Fearing that Asuka would get hurt(though most of us probably wouldn't mind), Rob pulled Lucy away from her. "Let go of me! She's in cahoots with the murderer!"

"Uu~! Uu~! Uu~! Erza _does _exist!"

"You're the most suspicious, aren't you?! You have to be an ally of the murderer! People are dying because of _you, _Asuka!" Before Lucy could say more, Aunt Layla silenced her with a very impressive bitch slap. Then, Gray-aniki tried talking to the girl.

"Asuka-chan, I know you aren't the criminal; you've been with us the whole time, so you wouldn't have the time to commit a murder nor talk to anyone. But still... who was the person who gave you the letter yesterday?"

"...Even if I say it... you won't believe me..."

"Is the criminal a person we know that you're protecting?! Who is it?! Who gave you the letter?!"

"Erza. I got the letter from Erza. Gray-onii-chan wants to change his helplessness into violence and vent it out on someone. So, if the opponent you want to beat isn't human, things will go nowhere. Even if I tell the truth, you won't accept it. It's pointless to say, but Asuka will say it again, because it's the truth: Erza 'exists.'" Again with this crap, little schizophrenic cousin?! "Kihihihihi! The door to the Golden Land will be open soon! Asuka will go there. Erza promised me! In the Golden Land, Mama is kind, and Papa is with us. Asuka wants to go soon!

"It's understandable that you're all afraid, but it's alright. After all, Erza said... 'Before the typhoon passes, I'll finish everything.'" Asuka... to her, who believes in mages, seeing us be tormented by an alleged mage must be fun for her, but there's nothing fun about this, at all. Now, though, I think Lucy's gonna yell at her, again.

"I've always thought you were a creepy child, but you're really weird, you know?! Even if you're not killing anyone, I'm sure you're a spy for the murderer! Like hell I'm staying with you!"

"Asuka-chan," Aunt Layla started, "know that there are times when we need to refrain ourselves from imprudent talks. If you keep acting like this, you'll make me very angry." _I_ wouldn't piss off the person holding a gun, but maybe that's just me. "Those of us remaining don't have guaranteed safety, so for the rest of the night, we should focus on protecting ourselves."

"Yeah," I said. "We should find a place to confine ourselves and relax."

"And where could we do that?" Lucy asked. "The criminal obviously has a master key, or something like it..."

"...Rob, is there anywhere that a master key won't open?"

"There is but one place: the Master's study."

"! You mean... the room with all of his creepy occult stuff...?"

"No way!" Lucy yelled. "I don't wanna go somewhere creepy like that!"

"Rob-san, how many keys can open that room?" Gray-aniki asked.

"Only two. One, which I keep with me at all times, and one, which the Master keeps with him. It might be interfering with the crime scene, but the Master asked me to hold onto his key if anything happens to him, so I took it off of his corpse."

"I see... so Purehito-san's study is a safe zone," Dr. Dreyar said. "It's a very large area with food, water, a bed, sofa, and blankets. There's no better place to hide ourselves."

"I don't wanna hide, though!" Lucy yelled. "We should be working together to find the murderer!"

"There's no need to do that," Aunt Layla said. "We can let the police handle it, tomorrow. Father's study is the safest place to be right now, so we should go there." This is quite interesting. Even if we do hide in the study, Gramps, who hid himself in there, ended up dead, so it's not truly safe. However, if the criminal tries to attack, we'll finally be able to learn how he broke the study's closed room! Of course, if it _is _a mage, she'd just have to do some magic. Ihihihihi...

* * *

We then headed off to the study. While we walked, though, I had a chilling thought: if the culprit's one of the eighteen, wouldn't we all be trapping ourselves? Could it really be Aunt Layla, like Aunt Ur implied? Ah, it's useless. It's all useless. Thinking it's one of the eighteen makes me want the "mage," and thinking it's the "mage" makes me want one of the eighteen... I'm not moving forward at all! I'm using Sakura-san's chessboard thinking to think like the enemy, but if I'm guessing wrong, all of my deductions end up as useless bullshit...!

"Uu~. What an amazing door." Oh, we're here. "It has a very strong power to drive away evil intentions. Maybe Erza won't be able to enter."

"What do you mean?" Asuka pointed at the door knob. "...There's a scorpion on it, just like on those charms you gave Lucy and me yesterday! So, I guess that means 'Erza' can't get us. Though, if Gramps really stayed in there, she probably found a way to get him to leave..."

"'Charm?'" Aunt Layla asked.

"The thing I gave you yesterday, mom," Lucy said. "You hung it on your door, remember?" Then, Asuka got a creepy as f*ck smile.

"Aunt Layla is a very fortunate person," she said. "Erza couldn't lay a hand on you, remember? She certainly didn't like that. Kihihihihihi..."

"Wait... are you saying that, without that charm, I would have... I would have... impossible. It was on the _inside, _so how would the criminal have even known?!" So... the criminal wanted to kill Aunt Layla, but knew the amulet was on the other side, and gave up on her? An amulet that protects you from the inhuman... protects you... from the inhuman...?! Then... does a mage really exist...? Is there any meaning to confining ourselves to this room...?

* * *

**Until next time, (See you again)! (Have a nice day)!**


	8. Legend of the scarlet mage 8

**Fox: Hey, there. Sorry that this chapter's so late... been busy with stuff. Also, this and the next chapter will probably be the last two, as I have lost a bunch of motivation to write this story. However, if you all truly want to keep reading, then I'll keep writing, 'cause the readers feelings, in my opinion, matter much more than the writer's feelings. Anyway... let's read! **

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**In regards to their clothes, assume that everyone wears what their counterparts do in **_**Umineko **_**and replace the One-Winged Eagle with the Fairy Tail blazon. Erza's main outfit, though, isn't Beatrice's main outfit; It will still be her armor. Also, all of their ages will be changed to their counterparts' ages.**

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**(xxxx)=English**

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**The following is a non-profit fanfic. Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are all owned by Kodansha, Studio Deen, TBS, Tokyopop, A-1 Pictures, Satelight, TV Tokyo, Funimation, 07th Expansion, Taito, Alchemist, Square Enix, UHF Stations, NIS America, Hiro Mashima, Kei Natsumi, Jirō Suzuki, Sōichirō, Taka Aki, Hinase Momoyama, Eita Mizuno, and support the official release. **

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**Natsu's POV**

So... here we all are. The nine of us who are still alive, all hiding out in Gramp's creepy study to avoid getting killed before the night ends. Unless, of course, one of us _is _the murderer... I shouldn't think like that, but still... goddammit all! I just wanna find the killer and kick his ass!

We all checked every centimetre of the study. No hidden doors, everything was locked, and with us having the only keys, it was a perfect closed room. ...Unless the culprit used magic. No way, though... the only thing close to that mage is that stupid portrait of Erza hanging up on the wall...

Aunt Layla finally opened the letter she found at Aunt Ur's murder scene. It was just one sentence: "Praise my name." This pretty much confirms that the murderer, the person claiming to be "Purehito's acquaintance, 'Erza'", is the person who sent the first letter. Rob would know about this the best, so I asked him to tell me who Erza was, but he remained silent.

"Rob... I've been avoiding this idea for a while, but... is Erza Father's... mistress?" Aunt Layla asked. ...Wait, what?

"I did hear that grandma thought he was cheating on her with some redhead while she was still alive," Lucy said.

"Rob, you said that Erza had been working with Gramps since before the mansion was built, right?" I asked. "I heard that the mansion wasn't finished until X750, so that'd be over 30 years ago! Now that mistress... or her descendant, is carrying out some sort of grudge...? Talk about cliche!"

"It's an insulting story, but it makes the most sense," Aunt Layla said. "Is it true, Rob?"

"...Yes," he replied. "Erza-sama was indeed my Master's lover... a woman he loved more than his own wife, but she died before the mansion was built." What?! She's already dead...? "Master was overwhelmed with grief and anguish. He turned to black magic to try and revive Erza-sama. His love for her drove him to insanity."

"Once, when the Master was drunk, he told me a little about his past," Granny Babasaama started. "Purehito-san was forced into becoming the head of the Dragneel family and forced into marrying his now deceased wife. One can only wonder how he met Erza..." ...Which means... Gramps, who was given a life he didn't want, met Erza, and fell in love for the first time. All the occult stuff... all the hours he'd spend in here... it was just because he wanted to see the woman he loved again... Not gonna cry, not gonna cry. ...Fuck.

"...I can understand how he felt..." Aniki... "If black magic could revive Juvia, then I would start looking for a way right now..."

"...I'm sorry, Rob-san," Lucy started. "I thought the servants were being made to believe in Erza, but actually... you were all just trying to console Grandfather..."

"It's okay. Erza will soon revive, and we'll all be able to meet her." ...Asuka... "Erza said that, 'The door to the Golden Land will be opened soon. It is the promised land that shines a brilliant gold. Here, the souls of all the dead are arrived, lost love is revived... and I shall sleep for all eternity.' You wouldn't believe this, would you, Natsu?"

"...No, I would. If Gramps had heard all of that, he'd be so overjoyed that I'd _have _to believe. If believing that he would be reunited with his lost love would make Gramps' life complete... I'd definitely believe! He just wanted his old love back... right?"

"...It really is magic. I guess you all can't see Erza yet..."

* * *

"Did Grandfather and Erza ever have a child?" Gray-aniki asked. After a slight pause, Rob replied with a "No".

"Speaking of children..." Lucy started, "Grandfather always hired people from the Fukuin house to work as servants, like Juvia and Rogue-kun, but he only hired young kids. There were rumors that he was trying to use them as sacrifices for some sort of ritual..." Is that right? Well, I wouldn't put it past... wait... hold on... (OH MY GOD!)

"We're so stupid!" I shouted. "It was in front of us the whole time!" Everyone looked at me with quizzical faces. "The epitaph! 'At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key'; the first murders were a group of six! 'At the second twilight, those who remain shall tear apart the two who are close'; Aunt Ur and Uncle Jura were in the same room when they died! 'At the third twilight, those who remain shall praise my honorable name on high'; that letter said, 'Praise my name,'! 'At the fourth twilight, gouge the head and kill'; Gramps had that weird stake jammed in his skull! 'At the fifth twilight, gouge the chest and kill'; Rogue was stabbed in the chest before he died! All of these murders have been following the epitaph!"

"But if that's it... then that means three more people will die!" Aunt Layla exclaimed.

"Yeah. Then, 'At the ninth twilight, the mage shall be revived and none shall be left alive'. This epitaph is actually some twisted ritual Gramps made to try and bring back Erza by sacrificing a lot of people!"

"But this ritual would require at least 13 people! There's not enough people on the island for it! Unless..."

"That's right... the true purpose of this family reunion was to gather enough sacrifices for the ritual! But still... everyone's dead at the ninth twilight, so was he planning on killing himself and taking us all with him?!"

"I don't know, but if he was, someone else is doing it, instead...!" This. Could not. Get any worse.

"Hey, look. Another letter from Erza." ...Thanks, Asuka. Thanks for that.

"Everyone, step back!" Aunt Layla said before pointing her gun in Rob, Babasaama, Dr. Dreyar, and Asuka's direction. "You four! Backs against the wall, now!"

"Madam?!" Babasaama screamed.

"I said NOW!" They did as she said, and then she told me to open the new letter on the table. It said, "I wonder if you're having fun with Purehito-sama's riddle. I think you're already aware that you don't have much time left. Please stop believing that you'll go home when the storm passes. There will be no tie, only my victory".

"...There was no letter on the table before we looked at the portrait. Lucy, Gray, Natsu-kun, and I were right in front of the portrait, so none of us could have put that letter there! One of you four did it while our backs were turned! One of you four is 'Erza'!"

"Uu~. Asuka isn't Erza. Because Erza 'exists'."

"Shut up! I know it's one of you! You're all suspicious!

"Babasaama! For all we know, you could have killed Rogue and lied about the two of you being separated!"

"I would never do that!"

"It pains me to suspect Father's oldest friend, but could it be you, Dr. Dreyar, for reasons related to Erza that have yet to be revealed...?!"

"Layla-san, I understand what you're dealing with, but please calm down...!"

"Rob, you are Father's head servant. Isn't Erza an illusion you performed for him?!"

"...It is an honor to be acknowledged as such in a time like this, but I did not leave that letter there..."

"Liar! You probably orchestrated the whole thing with Babasaama and Dr. Dreyar as accomplices! ...Asuka-chan, too!

"You can't deny involvement, anymore, Asuka-chan! Who gave you the letter, yesterday?! Point to them!" And, of course, she pointed to the portrait.

"Stop makin' fun of us, you damn brat!" Lucy yelled.

"Stop it, Lucy! And answer me, seriously, Asuka!"

"...Who do _you _want as the criminal, Natsu?" Asuka asked... me? "You suspect Erza when you don't want to suspect one of the eighteen. You suspect one of the eighteen when you don't want to suspect Erza. That attitude is why you can't see her! But she 'exists'! Erza 'exists'!"

"Shut up! If you don't stop that, I'll blow your f*cking brains out!"

"Go ahead!" Asuka walked forward until the head of Aunt Layla's gun was touching her forehead. "If you think you got the balls, then pull the trigger already! Kihihihihihihi!"

"Aunt Layla, don't pull the trigger!" Gray-aniki yelled. "That letter was just meant to provoke us! Tomorrow, the storm will be gone, and the police will clear all of this up!"

"How can you act like that, Gray?!" Lucy shouted. "Even though one of them might've killed your parents, how can you act so calm?!"

"I want the criminal to die, too, but we should let the authorities handle it!"

"Gray-aniki's right, Aunt Layla..." I barely say. "So put the gun down. Shooting is useless, it's all useless..."

"...I will make one thing clear: this is Tenroujima! I, Layla Dragneel, am its master! As master, I declare that there is no mage; I deny Erza's existence! Whichever one of you is responsible for this, you will not lay a hand on my daughter and nephews!"

"...I understand," Dr. Dreyar said. "In that case, we'll leave the room to try and regain your trust..."

* * *

So, in order to stay on Aunt Layla's good side, Asuka, Rob, Babasaama, and Dr. Dreyar all left the study and went to the parlor. Before they did, though, I revealed to Asuka that I never lost the scorpion charm(I just said it to get at her) and gave it back so she could be "protected". Now that they're gone, though, should I feel safe? If they weren't responsible, though... dammit! Stupid letter! Stupid...? There's another page to it. And... there's a magic circle on it! (Great). We just _had _to kick out the one schizophrenic child who knows about this stuff. Maybe one of Gramps' books can tell me...

Are you kidding me?! According to this book, the circle means "Discord causes internal division and makes the enemy crumble within". That means that, somehow, the real criminal got that letter in hear and used to get new sacrifices! We just sent four people out to die!

RING RING RING

...The phone?

RING RING RING

...Weren't the phones all out?

RING RING RING

"...Hello?" Aunt Layla asked as she answered it. "Hello? If this is a prank, it isn't...! Is this... a song?" I quickly ripped the phone out of her hands.

"Hello?! Who the hell is this?! ! This voice... Asuka?!" I can hear her singing, but it doesn't sound like she's at the phone, meaning Asuka didn't make the call! Someone else did, and she and the others are in danger!

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We quickly left the study to go to everyone's aid. Now, at the parlor door, I suddenly remember that every time we go somewhere under the suspicion that something's up, someone's dead. Though I have a good feeling that that won't be the case this-... (SON OF A BITCH)! When we got in there, we saw Asuka singing... and everyone else dead, their faces ripped off, and stakes jammed into them to satisfy the sixth, seventh, and eighth twilights. You... sick... bastard~!

"Asuka! Shut the fuck up!" She actually does and slowly turns toward me. "Who did this?!"

"...Uu~. Erza."

"Then that settles it! There _is _a nineteenth person! How'd she do it?! How'd she kill these people?!"

"I don't know."

"Like hell!"

"Easy, Natsu-kun." Damn you, Gray-aniki! You and your calm demeanor! "Asuka-chan, why were you facing the wall and singing a song?"

"Uu~. Erza told me to."

"Were the others still alive then?"

"Yes."

"You locked the door?"

"Yes."

"Then how did Erza get in here?"

"Locks mean nothing to a mage. She just turned into a scarlet butterfly and flew through the crack in the door." Again with this "magic" nonsense!

"And then what...?"

"Erza said that three out of four of us would be sacrifices. But Asuka was fine; Natsu gave Asuka the charm back, so Erza couldn't hurt me. She just told me to turn around and sing some songs for her. That's why I don't know what happened! Uu~!"

"You expect us to believe that?!" I yell.

"Kihihihihi. Then who will you suspect? Will you suspect Asuka? How about you kill Asuka? It's fine if you do, because I'll still 'exist'. With this, the eighth twilight is finished! Erza will be resurrected!"

"Like hell she will be! Mages don't exist! _Erza _doesn't exist! I refuse to acknowledge her! This legend of the scarlet mage will stay a legend!" Then, right before I punched Asuka square in the face, Gray-aniki snapped me out of it by asking, "Where did Aunt Layla go?" Now that you mention it...

"...Aunt Layla found another letter and left while I was talking."

"Another letter?!" What did it say?! Why did she go on her own?! What the hell is she thinking?! We gotta find her and... the door's locked with a hatrack on the outside! Of course!

* * *

After using our combined strength to get the door open, we heard gunfire. Going to where it came from... we found Aunt Layla lying by the big portrait of Erza with a hole in her head. Her gun was smoking, so did she shoot herself...?!

"Get out here, now!" I grabbed the gun while Lucy cried, my own eyes beginning to water. "Who are you?! Show yourself, you bastard!"

"...At the ninth twilight, the mage shall be revived and none shall be left alive. At the tenth twilight, the journey shall end and you should reach the village of gold. Congratulations, Erza!"

"Who are you congratulating, Asuka?! 18 people came to this island, and only the four of us are alive! I'm not dying, though! Until the typhoon passes, until the fairies cry, we're going to survive!"

"Who cares about surviving? It's midnight. The journey's over. In the Golden Land, the deceased shall all revive; even lost love will return. It'll be like this day never happened..." She then turned towards the portrait, "So, guide Asuka to the Golden Land right now! Erza!" Like hell I'll believe in this "mage" crap! "The mage will praise the wise, and should bestow four treasures. One shall be, all the gold from the Golden Land. One shall be, the resurrection of the souls of all the dead. One shall be, even the resurrection of the lost love. One shall be, to put the mage to sleep for all time. Sleep peacefully, my most beloved mage, Erza."

"Don't screw with me! I'll never acknowledge mageeeeeeeeeeeeeessss!"

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**3rd. Person POV**

**12 years later**

The storm passed, ...and the leaden clouds that enshrouded the island for so long cleared away. From rifts between clouds sun beams shone...and yesterday's storm seemed like a lie. In the harbour, according to someone's wish, the seagulls returned once again and let their lively cries be heard.

Afterwards, an inspection of the crime scene was performed by the policemen who came.

The corpses of the children who were thought to have survived until the end were not found after all, but from the pieces of the corpses that were found in that unimaginably gruesome crime scene, the police had no choice but to conclude hopelessly that the lives of all of the eighteen people, including the children, were lost... How gruesome was the feast of the mage? Thus, how beautiful the Golden Land is, is a tale that can only be told by them... There are no tales to tell to those who came after the feast had ended. They can only imagine what happened during those two days.

However, ...the mage was fickle.

She did not bother herself to hide this tale that had no need of telling, and she allowed its transmission.

Then, many years later.

A strange wine bottle that had drifted on the waves to the pier of a neighbouring island was pulled out by a fisherman. Inside it was a thin, tightly rolled notebook fragment, written upon in crammed small letters.

That was,...this tale.

People will know for the first time, through this notebook fragment, the enigma of the mystery-enshrouded October the 4th X784, and the truth of those two days filled with strangeness.

This incident was later called "The Tenroujima Mass Murder Incident", "The Tenroujima Eighteen Murders" or such, but connoisseurs of the world came to refer to it as "The Mage's Legend Serial Murders Incident".

People who delved in the occult claimed that it was the aftermath of an corrupt ritual that had sealed the island, and spread the two days filled with mystery embellished and twisted beyond recognition through each and every person's interpretation. However, even with all their interpretations, they will not be the ones to reach the truth of this incident. And even though the notebook fragment in the wine bottle will tell of this incident filled with mystery, it won't be telling it with the truth. That's right, ...perhaps not even the writer of the notebook knew the truth. ...It's possible that she wanted to know the truth.

According to the name written down,...her name is Asuka Dragneel. Furthermore, as the result of an all-out police investigation, concerning Asuka, a body part, ...a piece of her jaw was found. It was a precious instance where they managed to identify the owner of a body part through dentist medical records.

...Since in that gruesome situation there were countless body parts whose ownership or even provenance couldn't be determined, it can probably be said that this jaw was an extremely fortunate piece. The police, since the piece of jaw was damaged, and even though no other parts were discovered nor identified, judge it is hopeless to believe any are still alive. And so, let us tie this tale to the last sentence of the notebook fragment that Asuka Dragneelleft.

"By the time you have read this, I will probably be dead.

The only difference will be whether there is a body or not.

You who have read this.

Please find out the truth.

That's my only wish."

— Asuka Dragneel

- The truth of "The Mage's Legend Serial Murders Incident" has not been brought to light even today.

Jude Dragneel

Died at the first twilight.

Chosen by the key of the Golden Land, offered up as a sacrifice.

Gildarts Dragneel

Died at the first twilight.

Chosen by the key of the Golden Land, offered up as a sacrifice.

Sakura Dragneel

Died at the first twilight.

Chosen by the key of the Golden Land, offered up as a sacrifice.

Bisca Dragneel

Died at the first twilight.

Chosen by the key of the Golden Land, offered up as a sacrifice.

Servant Juvia

Died at the first twilight.

Chosen by the key of the Golden Land, offered up as a sacrifice.

Servant Yajima

Died at the first twilight.

Chosen by the key of the Golden Land, offered up as a sacrifice.

Ur Dragneel

Died at the second twilight.

Pierced through the forehead by the "Stake of Imitatia".

Jura Dragneel

Died at the second twilight.

Pierced through the forehead by the "Stake of Lilith".

Purehito Dragneel

Died at the fourth twilight. Forehead gouged by the "Stake of Ultear".

Servant Rogue

Died at the fifth twilight.

Chest gouged by the "Stake of Angel".

Servant Rob

Died at the sixth twilight.

Belly gouged by the "Stake of Flare".

Attending Physician Dreyar

Died at the seventh twilight.

Knee gouged by the "Stake of Kamika".

Servant Babasaama

Died at the eighth twilight.

Leg gouged by the "Stake of Cosmos".

Erza the Mage

Revived at the ninth twilight.

She finally opens the door to the Golden Land.

Layla Dragneel

Died at the ninth twilight.

The Mage praised her nobility, and granted her the honor of a duel.

Gray Dragneel

Missing on the tenth twilight.

The Mage, whose existence he recognized and whom he prostrated himself before, beckoned him to the Golden Land.

Lucy Dragneel

Missing on the tenth twilight.

The Mage, whose existence she recognized and whom she prostrated herself before, beckoned her to the Golden Land.

Asuka Dragneel

Missing on the tenth twilight.

The Mage, whose existence she recognized and whom she prostrated herself before, beckoned her to the Golden Land.

Natsu Dragneel

Missing on the tenth twilight.

Would the Mage beckon him, he who didn't recognize her existence and denied her, to the Golden Land?

The Mage will praise the wise, and should bestow four treasures in the Golden Land.

There, they should resurrect the souls of the dead, resurrect the love that was lost. For, if what they desired were even a mountain of gold, it was not something for them to obtain.

For Gray, it was the fiancee he lost. For Lucy, it was the person in her thoughts she lost. For Asuka, it was the love of her mother she lost.

Sleep peacefully, Erza.

A sleep from which no one shall disturb you again.

The winner is the Scarlet Mage, Erza.

All the eighteen people's time ran out before the riddle of the gold was solved.

All eighteen people are dead.

When the Fairies cry, there are no survivors.

Yōsei no Naku Koro Ni.

FoxOnPie presents. Welcome to Tenroujima.

"WHEN THEY CRY"

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**Possibly until next time, (See you again)! (Have a nice day)!**


	9. Tea party and hidden tea party 1

**Fox: Last chapter, I told you all that I was considering stopping this story. Well, I am happy to tell you all that I have decided to continue it! That being said, it's time for the last mind-rapey chapter of part 1!**

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**In regards to their clothes, assume that everyone wears what their counterparts do in Umineko and replace the One-Winged Eagle with the Fairy Tail blazon. Erza's main outfit, though, isn't Beatrice's main outfit; It will still be her armor. Also, all of their ages will be changed to their counterparts' ages.**

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**(xxxx)=English**

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**The following is a non-profit fanfic. Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Umineko no Naku Koro ni are all owned by Kodansha, Studio Deen, TBS, Tokyopop, A-1 Pictures, Satelight, TV Tokyo, Funimation, 07th Expansion, Taito, Alchemist, Square Enix, UHF Stations, NIS America, Hiro Mashima, Kei Natsumi, Jirō Suzuki, Sōichirō, Taka Aki, Hinase Momoyama, Eita Mizuno, and Ryukishi07. Please support the official release.**

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**Natsu's POV**

Where... am I...? Everything's dark. I can't see a thing.

"...u." Huh? "...tsu." Is someone... calling me? "Natsu!" Suddenly, the entire world gets flooded with light.

"Uu~! Natsu woke up! Uu~!" I was asleep? Wait... Asuka? "You can't sleep at the tea party! That's a no-no! Uu~!" "Tea party"? What is she talking about? And... where am I? It looks like I'm in some sort of tea room. Asuka's here. Lucy's here. Gray-aniki's here. Juvia-chan's here. Rogue's here. ...Wait, what?! There supposed to be dead!

"Ghosts!" I shout. "Begone, foul beings!"

"Natsu-sama, it's just us, your furniture," Juvia-chan(?) said.

"Begone, foul beings!"

"We're not ghosts," Rogue(?) said.

"Then how are you alive?! You both died!"

"Yes..." Juvia-chan said. "But, we're better now, though. Even if we _did_ die very cruelly."

"I heard that the four of you also suffered rather tragic deaths," Rogue said.

"Yeah," Lucy said. "We couldn't find the culprit in time."

"Uu~! It was a bad end! Uu~!" ...What the hell is happening? The last thing I remember is us finding Aunt Layla dead. Then midnight struck... and then what?

"But still, Rogue-kun died in a pretty cool way!" Lucy said. "Going out in a one-on-one battle with the culprit!"

"I didn't get a hit in, though..." Rogue said.

"But your death was a pretty big hint," Gray-aniki said. "At that time, everyone had an alibi, so it could have only been a nineteenth person."

"Uu~! Asuka was saying from the start that it was Erza! Only a mage could have done those murders! Uu~!" Again with this, Asuka?

"That's right. The closed room murders, Master's disappearance, the magic circles... it doesn't seem like a human could be responsible." Et tu, Juvia-chan? Well, you already said you believe in the mage, so I'm just glad you're not being annoying about it.

"This nineteenth person can clearly do things a human can't, so there's no reason _not_ to say it was Erza." ...Lucy?

"I was saying that the whole time! If you don't believe, the miracle won't happen! Uu~!"

"Yes. Erza-sama does 'exist'." ...Rogue?

"All of those crimes were humanly impossible. Only a mage could have done this...!" ...Gray-aniki?

"Uu~! Everyone believes! Asuka's so happy! Uu~!"

"But still, who would've guessed that this would end up as some sort of fantasy story?"

"Uu~! It's not fantasy! Erza exists~!"

"Right, right... sorry, Asuka-chan."

"How about we try and solve the epitaph?" Lucy suggested. "We were told to do it, but we didn't even try. Maybe we'll get a different ending if we solve it!"

"Uu~! Let's solve it together! Right, Natsu?"

"...Why are you guys acting like idiots?" Everyone then stared at me like I had three heads. "It's obvious that a human did all of this. Mages don't exist, right? The faces of the first six victims could have been destroyed with some sort of gardening tool. Gramps could have jumped out the window, or hid himself until the door was opened. As for Aunt Ur and Uncle Jura's closed room... some sort of trap was used to kill them. I don't know what, but it was definitely something like that." Even though I gave a thorough deduction, everyone still stared at me like I was crazy.

"...Natsu-kun... isn't that rather irrational...?" Gray-aniki asked. "You insist on a human culprit, but you can't even explain it..."

"Then, by that logic, isn't everything we can't explain caused by a mage?!"

"The problem isn't that 'there are things that can't be explained', it's that 'you can't explain anything'."

"What are you talking about, Asuka?"

"Asuka has been saying that a mage did everything, but you constantly deny it, despite not having a real reason for it. You're like one of those ignorant fools who denied the rotation of Earth Land with no just reasoning."

"You want just reasoning?! I'll give you just reasoning!" I then began to try and explain all the murders by human means, but every time I tried to get out a theory, these guys debunked it in its entirety. Whenever I tried to clean it up, I just kept making it more confusing and unlikely.

"It's not like... I can't just say it was a mage! If I do, I'm basically saying that humans aren't good enough to do anything this complex! Are you okay with that?! Are you okay with not figuring out who the culprit is?!"

"...Kihihihi. The culprit was Erza, the mage. Why doesn't Natsu just accept it?"

"There's no such thing as magic! If you don't know how a light bulb works, does that mean it works by magic?! Magic isn't the answer to everything!"

"...As expected, Natsu just won't believe. The miracle won't happen if everyone doesn't believe, you know."

"Ah, so if everyone accepts this lie, it's the same as being true, then?! Well, you won't get me to believe! If this mage is real, tell her to get her ass out here, right now!"

"Kuukukuku. If that's what you wish."

"!" That wasn't Asuka's voice. It wasn't any of our voices. The voice came from behind us. I turned and saw... someone. It was a woman I had never seen before, sitting in a chair that suddenly appeared out of the smoke of her scarlet kiseru. She had long, red hair, wore a suit of armor... wait a minute... is she...

"Natsu-sama," Rogue started, "this is Erza-sama, the Scarlet Mage who has lived for over a thousand years." ...What? ...A mage...? She's... a mage...?

"...Ihihihi. So, we finally meet, Ms. Nineteenth Person.

"You're the one behind the illusion of Erza. However, if even one person, such as myself, denies you, you can't exist. That's the way you operate, isn't it?"

"...You really do have a strong resistance towards magic. You'll never believe, so you'll never reach the truth."

"I don't know what you're saying, 'Erza'. It was nice of you to show up, but I still don't believe in you! I might not be able to explain these last two days, but that won't make me believe in a mage!"

"Kukukuku! I'm liking you even more...! This much defiance will make your surrender even more satisfying!"

"I'll always deny you! I'll explain everything through human means! And when you surrender, I'll make you kiss my ass!"

"Kukukuhahaha! I'm looking forward to it! Now, then... please start explaining." Suddenly, a large amount of smoke came out of Erza's kiseru and completely clouded my field of vision. When it faded, we were suddenly outside of Aunt Ur's room. "Could you tell me how a human killed the two people in this closed room?"

"Well... maybe someone fired something through the gap after opening the door...?"

"And managed to hit two people that couldn't even be seen from such an angle? I don't think so~!"

"Damn..."

"Let me show you how I did it."

"...What?"

"Come, show yourselves, my children, for I am the guide of purgatory. Pardon the grave sins with the seven stakes." Suddenly, right in front of Erza, the weird objects used in the second and fourth through eighth twilights appeared! What the hell?!

"These are the Seven Stakes of Purgatory. They fly at ultra high speed, reflect back on the walls, change their ballistic, and reliably shoot through their targets. A mage couldn't ask for better furniture. Come, Lilith, Imitatia, release the souls of the sinners!" Two of the stakes flew into the gap with incredible speed. I heard bouncing... and then... a piercing noise. Then, we were teleported(?) into the room, and I saw the two of them dead in exactly the same way.

"There's... there's no way you killed them like that...! Explain how you really did it!"

"It's magic! I don't have to explain shit!" We were then back in the tea room. "Ready to kneel before me?!"

"Never! I won't acknowledge you! You're just like a fairy in _Peter Pan!_ If I don't believe in you, you die!"

"...Well, you're half-right."

"? What do you mean, 'half-right'?"

"If you don't believe in me,_ they_ die." Erza then pointed her kiseru at Rogue, and he suddenly fell to the ground with blood shooting out of his chest. "Rogue was seized by trifling wrath and tried to disturb my banquet. He must be purified."

"Please, Erza-sama! Rogue-kun is sorry, so don't...!" As Juvia-chan talked, she suddenly started clutching her face... the right half of it...

"Natsu-kun! Believe in Erza-sama!" Gray-aniki yelled as he cried. "This is happening because you don't believe! The magic is fading because you don't believe!" The right half of her face blew off, leaving her as she was when we found her corpse. ...What the hell...? This is my fault?! Isn't it Erza's for killing them?! ...Wait, what's happening to Gray-aniki and Lucy?! They suddenly look like they're in pain!

"Kuukukukuku. In your last moments, you were bitten off by demons and sent to hell. I can revive people with my magic, but it won't work if everyone doesn't believe." Erza, you bitch!

"Stop it! Don't disgrace the dead!"

"Natsu..." Lucy?! "Don't... give in to a mage...! We didn't want to suspect our friends and family, so we gave in... But... if it's you... you won't surrender..." Before Lucy could say more... she... and Gray-aniki... bot exploded...

"AAAAAAAAAH! Aniki~! Lucy~!"

"Uu..." No... Asuka, too?! "Don't cry, Natsu. Erza... will revive the dead. There's no reason... to be sad... Even if I die... I'll be... fine..." That was the last thing Asuka said... before dying in my arms.

"UUUUOOOOOOOOO! I'll never forgive you, Erza! You made a big fucking mistake in making an enemy out of Natsu Dragneel! I won't rest until everything about you is denied! There are no mages! There is no magic! I'll explain it all with human means and erase you entirely!"

"KUHAHAHAHA! This will certainly ease my thousand years of boredom! Come, show me the power of 'human beings', Natsu Dragneel!"

"You got it! UUOOOOOO!"

To be continued in Episode 2: "Turn of the scarlet mage"

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**3rd. Person POV**

Later, in an unknown room, Erza was sitting around, drinking tea. However, she wasn't alone, as another person sat across from her.

"...There's no need to be so hostile," the other person said, her white cat tail wagging a bit.

"It's not hostility," Erza stated. "I'm just a little nervous to be in the presence of Lady Wendy, the Mage of Miracles who, with magic based around the principle of 'there is always a way to win if the chance isn't zero', was able to defeat the great mage, Lady Chelia."

"I'm merely a Voyager who surfs through the Sea of Kakera to relieve boredom. I heard what you were doing, and it seemed a little intriguing. If it turns out to be boring, though, I'll leave."

"I'd expect nothing less. What do you think of the first game?"

"...The Mage of Certainty, Chelia, was a cruel girl, but I was able to understand her. You, though... despite appearing to have affection, I can't understand you, at all. You're much more of a threat than she is."

"It's in my nature to be whimsical. Doesn't Lady Wendy also enjoy the whimsical rolling of the dice?"

"...I'm different from you. When I roll the dice, I have a clear result that I want to get. However, you get satisfied with any sort of result the dice gives you. If anything, I'd prefer not to fight you... we have the worst compatibility."

"Yes, why fight when you can drink tea?! You can't get bored like that!"

"Yes. The poison of boredom is the only thing that can kill me. That being said, don't kill me, Endless Mage, Erza."

"I'll try my best. Excuse me while I prepare the next game. With my power to kill people endlessly, I'll show you even more fun! Get ready to enjoy an eternity of amusing murders!" Erza's body became scarlet butterflies that all flew off into random directions. Wendy, the Mage of Miracles, was now alone.

"...You're probably having some trouble, so I'll lend you a hand," Wendy said to no one... seemingly. "First, about Erza: although she appears as one existence, she isn't necessarily an 'individual woman', meaning that she's not a human, but a personification of the rules of this world. To defeat her, you must expose and unravel the rules of this world. Survey it, understand the pieces, then figure out how to win. After that, her heart will be exposed, and all you'll have to do is crush it.

"Let's make one thing clear, though: just because I'm 'lending you my power' doesn't mean that I'm 'becoming your ally'. If all I see is Erza's endless game, I'd get bored. That's why I'm helping you... so I don't get tired." Wendy then took a sip of her tea.

"I am the cruelest mage in the world. No matter who the opponent is, I'll make them surrender without fail. You are my piece, so give it your all. I'll give you advice every now and then...so you won't bore me, will you?" Wendy then went into a fit of giggling as all of the light suddenly vanished.

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**Until next time, (See you again)! (Have a nice day)!**


	10. Goodbye

For those of you who actually care, I have changed my mind about continuing this story. I'm sorry about leaving you hanging, but I've really lost the drive to keep writing it, so I'm done. If you want to know what happens next, read the story this is based on, _Umineko. _

Goodbye,

FoxOnPie


End file.
